


Sanguis Vita Est

by ShadyWriting



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Black Romance, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood Sharing, Bloodlust, Bondage, Chains, Character Turned Into Vampire, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Finger Sucking, Forced Bonding, Horror, Imprisonment, Master & Servant, Master/Servant, Master/Slave, Nipple Play, Nudity, Physical Abuse, Psychological Drama, Psychological Horror, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, Psychosis, Red Romance, Servants, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Torture, Vampire Sex, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-11-28
Packaged: 2017-12-28 17:47:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 40,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/994770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadyWriting/pseuds/ShadyWriting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niklaus Mikaelson, one of the monarchs of the vampire underworld, takes Caroline as his blood servant. She is just a means to an end; an instrument of revenge. She will serve him with both her body and her blood until every ounce of life is drained from her. But as the war between humans and vampires rages on he never expected that she could bring such light into his darkness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Age of Revelation

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: This story contains mature adult descriptions. Strictly M rated. It is going to be a very dark story with violence, gore, abuse, rape, slave/master and non consensual themes.
> 
> Please heed the warnings!
> 
> *This story will contain multiple abusive themes and relationships based on that. Eventually it will be a "love" story but Stockholm syndrome will also be addressed. Caroline is a victim (not as a character but as a woman who is subjected to an abusive horror) and Klaus is an abuser and a psychotic personality in this story and those facts are not going to be sugarcoated or ignored. All the above will also influence the progress and the ending of the story.
> 
> Keep the warnings in mind!
> 
> \- At first I wanted to write a story about human slavery and human trafficking but as the idea progressed I felt more comfortable writing a supernatural story that involves completely fantastic characters that don't exist in reality; even though such situations (as slavery, abduction, abuse, rape etc) unfortunately do happen daily. I am a big klaroline fan so I merged my idea with this couple so here is the story. Take notice that I don't plan and I won't try to romanticize any controversial aspects or glorify horrifying acts.
> 
> If anyone is offended by such themes and cannot cope with reading such stories I would highly advise against reading this story.
> 
> You have been warned.
> 
> P.s _ This chapter includes M rated themes such as abuse, violence, slavery, rape and murder.
> 
> x
> 
> x
> 
> x
> 
> Story facts:
> 
> In this story the world is divided between humans and vampires.
> 
> Monarchy is bestowed upon the vampire world. The Originals and the councils are the highest order. Their laws are unbreakable and undisputed. Any disobedience is punishable by death.
> 
> Until recently the vampires were creatures that existed only in legends. Now they have been exposed and a war between humans and vampires has begun.
> 
> In this story the Originals are a lot older than 1000 years.
> 
> Also vampires here are dark sadistic creatures. They crave for blood and human suffering. Most of them have no respect or any kind of sensitivity when it comes to humans. They are cruel and unforgiving. They are dangerous and they are treating humans savagely. For they are the hunters and humans are the prey.
> 
> This is an AU story.
> 
> x
> 
> x
> 
> x
> 
> No beta

Chapter one: Age of Revelation

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.

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"The news of the century! Do vampires exist?"

"Thousands of dead corpses emerging"

"Grayed corpses with ...fangs!"

" 'People' dropping dead all over the planet!"

"Scientists uncertain. New species or old ones?"

"The government remains silent, world in chaos, do monsters walk among us?"

"Age of revelation. We live in a world of vampires!"

.

.

News spread all over the world like wild fire. After the revelation night the world changed. Humans realized that they were not alone. Monsters walked among them for centuries. Nightmares were coming to life.

And with the realization a new terrifying reality came along and there was only one question that needed to be answered.

.

.

"How can we protect ourselves from them?"

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.

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September 2011. New York.

Revelation Night.

.

.

She was trying to scream but she could not. His eyes still burned deep into her mind numbing all of her senses. All she could feel was fire spreading to her whole body. He was a monster!

His eyes gleamed into darkness and he had...fangs!

Fangs that were buried deep into her skin sucking her blood. Her life.

She wanted to scream. God she wanted to scream. But she couldn't.

Her body was pinned into the dirty brick wall of the alley behind the club. People danced and laughed inside and she was outside into the night dying.

The cold air hit her naked skin as the monster dug his fingers deeper into her skin and his sharp teeth sank deeper into her neck.

She could hear him gulping her own life down as she felt faint.

Her whole body was throbbing with pain. And then all stopped. The pain was there but not as blinding as before and he was on his knees in front of her.

He was spitting her blood from his mouth. He was screaming in pain holding his dark haired head and she was just watching unable to speak or move.

They had been flirting in the club and then he took her out. He fucked her against the wall. He was a savage as he tore her clothes and shoved her against the wall. He was brutal as he plunged into her and after a point it all became too much. She couldn't stand the pain as his cock ripped into her with inhuman strength and speed. She was horrified as she saw his eyes changing. Black veins forming against pale skin that circled blood shot irises. He then turned her around and took her from behind with even more force than before. No human could inflict such pain she had thought as his hands cracked her hip bones.

She had tried to pull away, to scream, to make him stop but she couldn't. His hand covered her mouth and she couldn't yell. She was biting him but he was laughing and then in less than seconds his movements became supernaturally frantic and he came hard inside of her making her wish to be dead.

Watch what you wish for they say. After all was done she couldn't help but think that whoever said that was right.

When he got out of her a pool of blood covered her bruised thighs. She wanted to scream but then his eyes bore into hers.

"You won't speak, you won't move!"

She didn't want to do what he said but she had no choice. Her whole mind screamed for her to resist but she found herself repeating his words.

"I won't speak, I won't move"

And then he tore into her neck with shiny gleaming teeth. So sharp and deadly. They seemed like...fangs!

It was impossible but he was feeding on her blood. And she couldn't speak or move. All she could feel was fear and her death approaching fast.

And now he was kneeled before her screaming in pain.

His screams died in the night as his skin grayed and then he dropped dead on the ground.

She shivered and then she finally could move.

She was losing blood from her ripped off neck and her destroyed genitals; her bones were broken and she could hardly breathe but she could move. She could finally move.

And if she could move then she could also speak.

Then she could also scream and so she did.

She dropped on her knees next to her rapist's corpse. She screamed with all her strength until there was no voice left.

A vampire she thought as she fainted. She was half dead next to… a dead vampire.

Her screams ended but she was not the only one screaming. In the whole world, in each and every corner of each continent thousands vampires dropped dead and people screamed at their sight.

The night and day of the revelation.

The moment that changed everything.

The moment when legends and bedtime stories became a dark reality.

The world was not the same place any more. No one was safe anymore.

Vampires were real. No one knew how or why but they were real. And they were dropping dead all over the world.

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.

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September 2013.

New Orleans. French Quarter.

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For ages the upper world continued its course into absolute unawareness while in the underworld the creatures of the night roamed.

An unwritten law that was placed upon vampires for centuries. Humans consisted the upper world and vampires the underworld.

Vampires would have to remain hidden and never to reveal their existence. Many objected to that rule but no one could break it. For millenniums this was the way of the undead.

As time progressed they created their own society. Their laws written in blood. Scripta manent Elijah always said and he was right. So a millennium ago as the world became, or at least attempted to become, a more civilized place their councils were created and their commandments were written in scrolls with blood ink. Laws decided by the eldest ones. By the patriarchs and the matriarchs of the Vampire species. By the Originals.

Their laws were written in detail and were extensive. An order was set. An order that reflected the ruthlessness of their kind and their sadistic nature that was nurtured in ages of blood and carnage.

Many of their laws concerned their relationships with each other but the most austere ones concerned their relationships with the humans.

One was certain. The general human population had to remain unaware of their existence.

Vampires belonged to the night. Humans belonged to the sun. And the night and the sun never met each other. No matter what.

The rules were clear and unbreakable. Exposure would have to be avoided at any cost. For the oldest have lived in a time were humans knew of their existence and they still remembered that a war between humans and vampires caused many losses and blood for each kind.

In time they had covered their tracks and they made humans forget. They became fairytales and creatures that lingered only in illusions. They severed themselves from the human knowledge and kept their distance from the public eye.

It was known though that vampires could not survive without blood and therefore they depended on humans.

Some vampires nowadays fed on blood bags but most of them remained loyal to the old ways.

Many vampires would feed on humans and then compel them to forget or would get reed of the dead bodies while making sure to hide any signs that would expose vampires to the world.

But there was also another way to go.

A way that didn't match with the civilized age and yet it still thrived amongst them. Most of them didn't belong in this time and in this way of social thinking anyway. Most of them were born in an age where masters and slaves existed.

And thus this law still took place and effect quite often.

Each vampire had the right to claim human servants. The higher the vampire's position into the hierarchy the more servants he could have. In the old days they used to call them slaves. Now they were called blood servants.

According to the law the vampire would have to present the servant to his jurisdiction's council and ask for their permission to own that person as his property. Once the council gave its permission the human would entirely belong to his new master. After branding his new possession the vampire could use the servant that belonged to him at will. No other could lay a hand upon the human or make any decisions that concerned him.

According to the law the vampire would have to train the servant and make sure that the human would be completely detached from his past live and would now behave under their law. As the human's master the vampire would have to attend to the servant's needs for as long the human would remain alive. Of course the length of the servant's life would now be decided by his master but there was a time limit where the servant would have to remain alive. One month. For one month the human would have to remain alive and then be presented to the council again in order to verify his vitality. After that the vampire master could dispose the servant if he wished it so.

The vampire who decided to keep a servant had some responsibilities though. He had to make sure that the human would get accustomed to the new reality of his existence. The notions of the human ways would have to be deleted from the servant's mind. When a human entered the vampire world then all ties with the upper world would have to be severed. Many vampires most of the times would erase their humans' past memories through mind control and would compel them to forget the lived they had before they became servants or would just compel them to never contact anyone again. Some others were talking more drastic measures. They killed the human's families and connections thus severing all ties once and for all.

The servants now existed solely for one reason. To serve and obey their masters and nothing else. Their blood, bodies and services belonged to their vampire lords. Their freedom gone and their reality forever changed. Most of the times forever wouldn't last more than a month anyway and their misery was coming to an end. But in their time of servitude they had to completely obey their masters, if not they would get punished. And it was common knowledge that vampires were enjoying inflicting pain to others. Especially to humans.

Many humanitarian vampires were appalled by this law but in reality it kept many bloodthirsty vampires in check. It sated their need to seek and destroy (and to be a potential risk of exposure during those ventures) as the existence of a servant meant that the vampire master had a plaything to keep him busy.

One way or another it all came down to one thing. Vampires needed humans but they also needed to keep their identities and true natures hidden.

The human world would have to remain unaware of the existence of the vampire species. Once a vampire would take a human either as a victim or as a servant then he would have to erase all traces that would lead back to them. No one should ever link the human deaths and disappearances with the supernatural element. Whoever did then would simply have to die.

If a vampire was to ever break the rules then torturous death was coming to claim him.

There was also the matter of turning. Things were not as simple nowadays as they used to be. It was a risk to turn people that would not be able to adjust to vampirism and obey the law.

In these days a human could be turned only if the one of the councils or if the Originals allowed it. And for the last decades only the most trusted and those that could survive certain trials were made into one of them.

This way their kind has learned to adapt and survive into the modern world.

Their laws were strict and unbreakable but insured a certain balance.

Until all was ruined.

Now their laws hanged in the balance. It wasn't easy collecting humans anymore and it wasn't easy going out to the world without being recognized as an abomination or hunted down by the human patrol and the mercenary hunters.

The night of the revelation as the humans called it changed everything.

.

.

.

The golden glass shattered under the force of his fingers and broke into thousand crystal shards. The memory of what happened still regenerated rage inside of him and made the beast retaliate and demand blood and destruction. Things that he would have even if he had to bring a new order in the underworld.

Now the upper world was at chaos. For two years now. War was coming and no one was going to stop it. Most definitely not him. If anything now it was their time to rise and claim what was rightfully theirs and belonged to them. To take control and most importantly revenge.

A new dawn was rising. The time for the vampires to take what was theirs by right and blood. They would no longer hide in the shadows and linger in the dark. Humans would finally learn their place. To serve them with their lives and blood.

And he knew exactly how to set all of this into motion. With one strategically unexpected move that would take his enemy by surprise and would force him to act prematurely.

He sat on his throne inside the expansive room. Behind him tapestries and banners covered the black marble wall. His sovereignty in this region was undisputed. Behind him was his sigil. The wolf in blood. This was his domain. In his borders all obeyed and feared him. No matter what his brethren said he would take his vengeance. He wasn't known as the most hated and fearsome of the Originals for nothing after all.

The temperature in the throne room was below of what a human could handle and the girl that was kneelling beside his intricate throne was shivering under the thin see through lace garment she was forced to wear. Puncture wounds covered her skin all over the place. He could hear her labored breath.

Maybe it was time to take her out of her misery but she was a borrowed gift and she was branded as one of his lieutenant's blood servants. That meant that by vampire law that he and his family had bestowed upon their race he could not kill the girl without her master's approval.

He sighed. All those restrictions were boring him.

He looked at the shivering girl and tried to imagine how much fun he was going to have in the next days.

He hadn't taken a human as a slave ever since the middle ages. He was not into that anymore truth to be told. Feeding them and clothing them was quite tiresome after a point and he remembered that most of the times he used to forget their needs and then they would finally wither and die from hunger and thirst. That of course for those that didn't instantly die on him when he fed on them.

He was so different from almost all of his siblings in that department.

Rebekah and Finn were always so fond of their human pets.

They only branded the willing humans they wanted under their protection and no one could place a finger on them after that. They were using the law to their advantage in order to cover their weakness. He knew that lately Rebekah had fallen for her latest servant and she was keeping him always near her. It was disgusting that in reality it was Rebekah that was serving the human and not the other way around.

Finn and Sage branded humans that considered them to be their friends and confidants.

Elijah on the other hand has never branded a human. Not even once. His love for humanity prevented him from doing that. He had so much respect for those pathetic creatures that aimed to destroy them.

Centuries ago the vampire species thrived and multiplied. They were fearsome and now humans were daring to rise against them.

They had taken out one of them and his siblings expected from him to stay silent and stoic while the humans organized against them.

Kol was gone and they did nothing about it!

His chest rose and fell in anger.

He looked at the trembling girl.

"Come here sweetheart," he ordered.

The girl stood and came to him carefully avoiding the broken glass on the floor but also keeping her eyes on him and not wasting any time.

She was barefoot, scantily clothed with a short dress that left nothing to the imagination. The fabric was made from see through lace and she wore no underwear.

He took her by her cold hand and placed her upon his lap.

Her skin was now pale blue and her teeth chattered. He felt disgusted. There had been millenniums since he had felt any human weakness. He didn't even remember what it felt like to be this weak. He enjoyed being superior, strong, a force of nature.

"What are you offering love?" he asked her in a false soothing voice.

"Whatever you desire my lord," she whispered trying to keep her voice loud enough despite the fact that she could barely move her lips.

Klaus removed the strap of her skimpy garment on her right shoulder and the lace fell from the girl's icy skin in soft ripples. He looked at her and gestured for her to remove the left strap on her own. She did exactly that.

Her breasts were now exposed and her nipples were hard from the cold. His fingers played with one of the taunted nipples causing pain to the girl. But she remained silent. She was already trained and from what he knew his lieutenant's servants were prime examples of obedience once he was finished with their training.

Under the dim lights the silver piercing with the diamond letters in her belly button shined. The diamond letters formed the initials of her master's name. His other hand circled her waist and his fingers there played with the piercing. He tugged at the cold metal and felt the goosebumps that spread on the girl's body.

The more he cruelly rubbed the sensitive skin of her nipple and the harder he pulled the piercing the more her blood was coming to life inside her frozen body. He didn't crave to have sex with a mindless slave nor force a woman to satisfy his needs but in his raging with fury mind there was another girl in her place right now. One that he would love to taint and break.

Once he heard the girl's blood pumping into her veins again he brutally sank his teeth into her neck.

He drank her blood as his fingers bruised more of her skin. She whimpered and he drank more. Her blood was stale but it had to do for now.

He tried to imagine what it would be like to inflict pain to the daughter of the man he hated. In his mind it was her that was in his hands right now. In his mind he was hurting her.

His plans were set in motion and soon he would have his own servus sanguineum to play and taunt. To make her suffer and cry in pain.

A servant that would serve a much greatest purpose than just obeying him. She would be an instrument. By becoming his she would be a pawn that would inflict pain and suffering to his enemies. And with her death a debt would be repaid.

"Niklaus!"

His brother's voice boomed into the room and Klaus looked at him over the servant's neck.

He took his fangs from the girl's flesh and he harshly removed her from his lap.

Her naked feet connected with the broken glass that was spread on the floor, from the tumbler Klaus had broken minutes before, and she tried to hold her moans of pain back. There was also alcohol on the broken pieces of glass that were now embedded in her skin and they burned like fire. Such a thing should have been welcomed into the frozen cold she had to endure but now it only caused more pain. She hurriedly went to her former place and knelt down as this was the proper posture for the servants when they were in the presence of vampires. Even more so of vampires that were royalty as were the Originals. She didn't make a move to cover her exposed breasts because she wasn't instructed to do so.

"Hello brother," Klaus greeted Elijah with a bored tone.

"What have you done Niklaus?" Elijah accused him.

"Always greeting me in such pleasant ways Elijah," he mocked his older brother.

"What have you done?" his brother insisted looking angry. His expression grim.

"As of lately brother? Many things actually, in which century are you referring to?" he innocently asked as he carelessly hung one of his legs at his throne's armrest.

"You cannot take the general's daughter as your servant!" Elijah basically ordered him while trying to make him see reason.

Klaus remained impassive for a moment. News travelled fast between the regions. Obviously Stefan had a big mouth.

But what enraged him more was his brother's audacity! His belief that he could control and order him around!

"YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO BROTHER?" he hollered.

"It is against our laws Niklaus!" Elijah persisted without losing his calm.

Klaus picked himself up and flashed with supernatural speed in front of his brother in rage. How dare he threaten him with the rules that THEY created? With the rules HE created! They were above the humans, they could make new rules if they had too. He would make sure of that!

"What rules? We have already been exposed! Do you even remember how it happened?" he yelled at the face of his brother.

Elijah's eyes shone with torment and regret at the painful memory. Of course he remembered. No one of them would ever be able to forget.

"We need to maintain a form of balance Niklaus. Such rush actions will bring us into a worst predicament than we already are," Elijah said somberly.

Klaus took some steps back and spread his arms wide open.

"We are above them brother. Let them come and let us wait for them!" he exclaimed. The bells of war already ringing in his ears.

"You are making a mistake brother. It is against the rules!" Elijah said once again looking appalled.

Klaus looked at him and put his hands down. Elijah and his damn rules!

Then he smirked deviously and turned his head to the half naked girl that was kneeling next to his throne.

He extended his hand towards her and called her to come to him.

"Come here love," he ordered in a seductive tone.

Elijah saw the girl standing up. She was obviously cold and in pain. Blood was flowing from her neck and was painting her naked skin red.

She went in front of his brother and placed her trembling hand into his brother's open palm.

Niklaus gently brought her closer to him and then shoved her between them.

He looked at him as he played with the open bleeding wounds on the girl's neck. She flinched but stayed motionless as Klaus licked his bloody fingers and then her neck with pleasure.

Elijah couldn't help her but at least he knew that Klaus wouldn't kill her. She wasn't his servant, she belonged to another.

"Rules are meant to be broken Elijah," Klaus said locking his eyes with his own and in a swift move he snapped the girl's neck.

Her lifeless body dropped on the floor with a thud, her eyes open and vacant.

He looked at Klaus without showing how upset he truly was as he now understood that his brother would be no longer playing by the book. There was no stopping him. The beast has been set free and there were no holdings able to detain it.

Klaus placed his hand on his shoulder in a brotherly gesture.

"War is coming brother and you better pick the right side," Klaus said and left him alone to stare at the servant's body that was lying dead on the cold floor.

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Mystic Falls. Virginia.

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Cemetery

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"We fight because we believe."

The sun was setting and the orange circle casted its faint purplish glow all around the trees and the tombstones while she stood in front of the gravestone.

Night was falling and yet once again she found herself at the cemetery staring at her best friend's grave. Probably not the best place to be in times like these but she couldn't help herself.

Elena Gilbert had died three years ago at the age of sixteen and she still couldn't believe that her best friend was dead. She had died in a car accident. The car exploded while she was inside. Not even her remains could be salvaged.

Everything changed after that. In her mind Elena was part of her life and she would continue to be so until they would be old and wrinkled and would both tell stories of their youth to their grandchildren. And yet Elena wasn't with her anymore.

But the losses didn't stop there. Bonnie had disappeared two years ago just after the revelation.

No one could find her and all searches were in vain. Many believed that she was one of the many vampire victims that became casualty of war. But she didn't want to believe that. She still forced herself to believe that Bonnie was somewhere out there, safe and happy and for some reason she didn't want to be found. But she was okay. She had to be.

Deep in her heart she couldn't believe that she had lost Bonnie too. Everything changed so drastically in the last years. She remembered how carefree she used to be but after losing both of her friends she was left all alone. The shallow girl had vanished and in its place a new Caroline was left mourning for the loss of the people she loved.

Now she was left all alone. No one cared and she felt that she was not good enough for anyone. There was a deep hole in her heart that swallowed everything. Not even her parents cared for what was truly happening to her.

Her father had returned back to Mystic Falls a few months after the night of the revelation. He became mayor and later a general for the Government. He was one of the generals that organized their defenses against the vampires.

Later on her mother became part of the HPAV. The Human Patrol Against Vampires.

She still couldn't believe what was happening to the world. It seemed surreal. Like an unbelievable story from a cheap horror novel.

At first she couldn't believe that vampires existed. Many still didn't believe it to be true but now she knew better. After her father returned he and her mother revealed to her that they knew about the existence of vampires long before the revelation. They told her that in Mystic Falls there was a secret council and both of them were part of it ever since their youth. She already knew about the Founders council but she could have never even suspected that it was created in order to protect the town against vampires. Her parents have told her that for many centuries vampires have been coming and going in Mystic Falls causing havoc. In 1864 after certain events, that they didn't clarify to her, the council was constituted in order to protect the town against any returning vampires.

And for years both of her parents were part of that council. Once the existence of vampires became common knowledge many similar councils all over the world revealed themselves to the government. Towns like Mystic Falls and every other that had similar organizations became central points. There were now military camps all over town, constant patrolling, certain regulations and a curfew. Vampires couldn't get inside someone's home if they were not invited in so the curfew dictated that at sunset all civilians had to return to the security of their homes and stay there until dawn.

She had to admit that she was never following those rules. Most of the times like tonight she would ignore the curfew or later at nights she would jump out of the window and she would come probably here again.

Living in such conditions made her feel like she was in a prison or something. It didn't make her feel safe. It made her feel like she was suffocating.

Besides all the guards in town and every member of the patrol knew her and protected her personally since she was the daughter of General Bill Forbes and of the HPAV Sheriff Liz Forbes. Many times when she would go out they would follow her close behind and that made her angry as hell. She was already wearing her vervain jewelry and she was drinking copious amount of vervain daily. Even her perfume and soap had vervain in it. For God's sake she was carrying wooden stakes with her! And the town was heavily guarded. It seemed more of a concentration camp than a town anyway. She would be okay!

She looked at the gravestone down at the dirt. She had already left fresh flowers on it.

"We fight because we believe."

Those were the words carved on stone. The only problem was that she didn't know what to believe anymore.

She sighed. She looked at the sky. Darkness was now looming all around her and the moon was rising. She had to go home but then again no one was there. She barely ever saw her parents anymore. They had too many responsibilities that prevented them from even caring about her.

"I miss you Elena," she whispered and turned to leave.

She went to her parked car and while she was searching for her keys she thought she heard a noise coming from behind her.

She bit her lip and grabbed her keys harder and then she heard someone moaning. She looked around. Nothing. No one was there. The street lights on the other side flickered and she took an uncertain step back.

Her first instinct was to get in her car and drive away. But what if someone was hurt? Most of the town strictly followed the curfew timeline but many teenagers didn't. What if one of them was out there and was hurt?

She looked around. Behind her was the cemetery and in front of her trees and the open road. All seemed eerily abandoned and dark.

She heard moaning again. Like someone was in pain.

She opened her bag and took a stake out and followed the noise. She walked some distance until she found herself meters away from her car.

As she took some steps she saw a police vehicle behind some trees. The driver's door was open, the lights were off and from what she could see no one was there.

She took some more steps and went towards the car. Her heart started beating faster and faster. She could swear someone was there behind the trees. Stupid. What she was doing was stupid!

She finally went to the car with as much caution as she could and realized that indeed no one was there. She also realized that usually the patrol team was coming in groups. The police car was abandoned and no one else was there or even anywhere near.

She had to get of there!

She heard a soft crack behind like someone had stepped on a branch. She abruptly turned, her golden locks falling in front of her face.

"Hello?" she called frightened, "Is anyone there?"

Her voice slightly trembled and she held the stake closer to her chest. It was probably nothing but right now she was thinking that coming here was not one of her brightest ideas.

As she took a step back she stumbled on something and fell.

She hit her face on the muddy ground and she tried to pick herself up feeling dizzy. The stake had fell from hands during her impact with the dirt and was now out of reach.

She had scratched her hands and knees. Blood was oozing from the scratches.

What was that? Did she fell on a rock?

But then she looked at her hands and all around her.

Blood. Blood was everywhere.

A pool of blood. Sticky and mixed with the mud.

Blood!

Her eyes opened wide. She looked behind her and saw that she had stumbled over a hand. A man was lying on the ground half covered in blood and mud. He was dead. She knew him. He was one her mom's officers. His eyes were looking into space. No life inside them. There were opening bloody holes on his neck.

Vampires!

She screamed and crawled away. She had to get out of there. To run.

She heard a whooshing sound. She didn't lose any time. She got up and started running.

She ran as fast as she could. She had to get out of there. She had to go home. To make it to the car.

She could do it!

Noises were coming closer to her.

She could feel someone…or something following her. Stalking her. Waiting for the right moment to attack her.

She reached her car but her keys were nowhere to be found. She must have dropped them with the stake. Tears fell from her face as she yelled for help and grabbed the handle of her door and with irrational frantic movements tried to open the locked door.

She was about to break the window when she saw a shadow reflecting on it.

She screamed as she felt a hand throwing her on her car with a force that cut her breath. The next thing she felt was strong fingers grabbing her from her hair and shoving her head on the car window. As her scalp collided with the glass excruciating pain spread all over her head like a bolt of lightning.

And then there was nothing...


	2. Chapter 2 | Part one:  Miles to go before we sleep : Going through hell is the only way to meet the devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This story contains mature adult descriptions. Strictly M rated. It is going to be a very dark story with violence, gore, abuse, rape, slave/master and non consensual themes.
> 
> This chapter includes: Violence, abuse, murder, nudity, mild profanity, slavery, dehumanization and degradation acts.
> 
> ***If anyone is offended by such themes and cannot cope with reading such stories I would highly advise against reading this story.
> 
> You have been warned.
> 
>  
> 
> x
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> x
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> x
> 
> Story facts:
> 
> \- In this story the world is divided between humans and vampires. War has began between the species.
> 
> \- Monarchy is bestowed upon the vampire world. The Originals and the councils are the highest order. Their laws are unbreakable and undisputed. Any disobedience is punishable by death.
> 
> \- Humans are treated by the vampires as slaves.
> 
> \- In this story the Originals are a lot older than 1000 years. The Originals never specifically reveal their age but it is well known to the vampire community that they have been present -at least- ever since the Roman era.
> 
> \- The doppelgänger story is also different and is adjusted with the timeline of this story. The first doppelgänger was not Tatia in this story but Iona.
> 
> \- The story of Katherine and Elena is also different.
> 
>  
> 
> x
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> x
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> x
> 
> No beta

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The world was coming to life and then it was vanishing from existence. This was happening again and again. She was feeling pain and the cold was too much for her to bear. She was fainting and coming back to life as she felt people dragging her around. Or was it her imagination?

The only constant was the darkness.

.

.

She could hear voices. They seemed to be coming from somewhere far away and they were distorted. At first she couldn't make out what they were saying.

All she could feel was that she was in the middle of a storm. Everything was turning and she wanted to throw up, she could barely even breathe. Her head was hurting, she felt like it was going to explode in any minute. Then the sounds became clearer. Definitely male voices.

She tried to breathe and then all came back to her. The cemetery, the dead man. The wounds on his neck. Fear gripped her heart like a heat wave.

Vampires she thought. Vampires had taken her. Her heart started beating in a terrified tempo that made the world spin again.

" _We retrieved the girl,"_ she heard a man say and then she lost consciousness again.

.

.

She took a deep breath. She was still alive. Pressure was building up in her ears.

She then panicked. She couldn't open her eyes. Her head was on fire.

" _We will be landing in less than 2 hours."_ She heard a deep male voice say.

She had to do something but her body was not responding. Her limbs were numb and unresponsive.

She was so cold. Her mouth dry craving for some water.

Her shoulders and neck were rigid and frozen. Someone had taken her jacket off. Terror circled her heart and mind. Someone had touched her while she was unconscious. Someone was taking her God knows where!

She willed herself to stay awake. She tried to take deep breaths. As she tried to move her head she couldn't stop herself from moaning in pain.

" _The bitch is waking up."_  She heard another man say.

She jolted away and moved her head up as a reaction to the sound that was near. She then realized that she couldn't open her eyes because something was covering them. Tears formed in them.

She could feel people around her but she remained silent.

Her head was burning up. Her arms ached. They had tied her hands up. But at least her hands were tied up in her front so she instinctively tried to get them on her eyes to remove the blindfold but then two strong hands grabbed her arms and stopped her. The man immediately cursed and shoved her back with a force that cut her breath. She heard him screaming in a rage and in pain. Others laughed.

" _Damn her skin burns!"_ the man yelled.

Then someone slapped her hard on the face and her head turned on the other side. Her cheek and jaw burned and the pain in her head became unbearable. Her faintness returned. She could feel hot liquid running from her torn lip. She realized it was her own blood as she swallowed it. The metallic taste of her blood making her sick.

" _She uses vervain idiot. Use gloves!"_ another said still laughing.

She tried to move like a frightened blind defenseless animal would and then two gloved hands held her on place. She screamed and then she felt a pinch. Fire exploded on her throat. Someone had just shoved a needle in her neck.

The world turned around its axis and she lost consciousness yet again.

* * *

Her whole body ached. Every cell in her body was screaming with pain that was consuming each and every part of her. The blindfold wasn't there anymore. She tried to open her heavy eyelids and flashes of light almost blinded her.

As she opened her eyes she realized that she was in a dark place and those flashes of light in reality were just a trick of mind. As her eyesight slowly returned she blinked. Once and then twice until her vision became clear. This place was really dark and cold.

She finally woke up completely and real absolute terror settled in. Tears gathered in her green eyes when she realized that she was lying on a dirty floor that was made by heavy stones. She looked around and saw that the whole place was made by stone. She tried to sit up but her head kept spinning. She wanted to throw up. And she was so thirsty!

_Stay calm Caroline, breathe, stay calm!_  That was her inner mantra but it wasn't working.

There was almost no light in that small suffocating place. Only some dusted faded rays that were coming from some metal bars on the top of the wooden door that was in the other side of her…dungeon.

Funny how people react in times of absolute terror. The first thing she noticed was the place she was in when she should have first noticed the state  _she_ was in.

The tears finally fell from her eyes and she gasped in horror. Her hands were handcuffed behind her back. She could feel the metal digging in the flesh of her wrists almost cutting her circulation. Her right ankle was also cuffed even tighter. The leg cuff was connected to a short rusty chain. The end of the chain was locked to a metal circle link that was embedded to the stone wall behind her.

But what shocked her even more and made her panic rise to new heights was the fact that she wore no clothes anymore. She was lying on the hard cold floor of a dungeon tied up and someone had removed her clothes leaving her only in her underwear.

Someone -or maybe more and not just one person- had stripped her while she was unconscious. They had touched her in her most weakened state. Who knows what else they have done to her while she was out of it. Her panic rose even higher and she started crying.

" **Let me out of here!"**  she yelled as she pulled on the chain that was attached to her leg and as she tried to free her hands. Pointless. It was pointless. She was only hurting herself as the metals bruised and cut her skin.

Vampires! They had to be vampires! As a dream she remembered that earlier someone had slapped her and had mentioned the word vervain.

Her cheek still burned. Her head felt like it was about to crack open. Yes. She remembered now. Someone had hit her head on her car's window! What sick freaks were these people?

_Were they even people?_

She was coming to realize how stupid she had been acting all this time. Both of her parents were right. If only she had listened to them and followed their instructions.

Now she wouldn't be half naked locked up in this place! How long was she in here? How long was she going to stay here?

What did they want from her? What was going to happen to her?

" **LET ME GO!"**  she screamed again but no one answered. She was alone and yet she could feel that someone was watching her. And that feeling was the scariest emotion she had ever experienced.

* * *

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**Mystic Falls, Virginia.**

**Forbes residency.**

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General Bill Forbes was sitting on his daughter's bed in her room. He was staring at her trophies and at her pictures that hung on the wall. His face a mask of desperation. Now that he was finally alone, even if it was for just a few moments, he could show his true colors. And all he felt was mind numbing fear and nothing else.

His baby girl was taken and he didn't do anything to stop it. He had failed his child. She should have been safe in her room right now. He should have protected her and she was gone.

She was missing for more than 30 hours. At first they thought she was just breaking the rules like always but this time she didn't return home at all. This time she didn't answer her phone. They had lost valuable time by not searching for her sooner.

They had found her car near the cemetery. The driver's window was covered in blood. The forensic said that it was her DNA.

His little girl's blood was on that window.

They have also found signs of a struggle. The window was cracked and mixed with her blood were some blond hair.  _Her hair_. According to the investigation someone had hit her head on that window hard enough to crack the glass. A blow like that could have been fatal but there was no body found they said. His Caroline was mentioned as a body.

Near his daughter's car there were many dead bodies. All of them deputies and HPAV officers. All of them brutally murdered. All of them dead from blood loss. All of them had puncture wounds on them. But his daughter was nowhere to be found.

_Vampires!_

Somehow Vampires had bridged the town's security and invaded their borders. And Caroline had once again ignored the curfew.

She could be dead. His daughter could be dead. His hands covered his face in despair.

"Bill?"

He picked up his head only to see Liz standing in front of him looking exhausted.

He tried to calm himself but he couldn't even move.

Liz looked around and she saw a photo on her daughter's dresser. There she was hugging Bill. She was smiling. She had just entered the cheerleading squad.

She went to the dresser and took the photo to her hands. Her fingers caressed her daughter's smiling face.

"This is her favorite picture," she whispered.

She held her tears for so long. But now she couldn't. What kind of mother was she? She was out there always patrolling and protecting even complete strangers, even to the point where she would neglect her family, and in the end she couldn't even protect her own daughter.

Where was Caroline? How could have they failed her like that?

Her long estranged ex husband came close and took her in his arms and held her tight.

"We will find her Liz. One way or another I promise we will find her" he said to her as he held her close. The picture of Caroline between them.

He didn't voice his real thoughts though.

He didn't say out loud what he was certain that Liz was thinking too.

Caroline could be already dead by now.  _Or even worse_. She could be at the hands of vampires. And if that was happening then he shouldn't pray to find his daughter alive. It would be better for her to be dead.

Because he didn't even want to imagine what was going to happen to her if she was alive and in the mercy of those monsters.

* * *

She forced herself to stop crying. She had no one to depend on except herself so now it was not a time for her to break down.

She tried to sit on the floor and to ignore her headache and nausea. She could do this. She had to do this.

As she sat she crawled back to the wall and rested her back and her head on the stony slimy surface. She shuddered with disgust as she felt her naked back touching the wet greasy wall. She brought her knees close to her chest and let her head fall over them. She tried to control her breathing and soon enough her stomach stopped hurting somewhat.

She picked herself up and looked more carefully at her prison. She had to see if there was any way out; anything that could help her escape. Anything at all.

The walls and floor were made from solid stone. Mucus and slime had formed over them. There were no lamps or plugs and therefore no electricity. Shackles and chains were hanging from the walls and from the ceiling. At their sight she felt all of her courage being drained out of her at once.

The place was damp and really cold. The fact that she was clad only in her flimsy black underwear didn't help. She was trembling and she couldn't even use her hands to rub her skin in order to produce some sort of heat. She was hearing scratching noises and she tried to put out of her mind that those noises belonged to rats.

She unsteadily tried to stand. The headache and nausea returned with a vengeance but she made it. She sighed with relief. The chain that was linked with the cuff on her leg was long enough for her to stand. At least that was something. But it was still a short chain and she couldn't just take even two small steps. She screamed in frustration.

She looked around and then she saw that there were some other things in the cell. At first she didn't noticed them because the corner they were at was too dark, but in the right side -and not near her- there were three things on the floor.

A bowl of water, a thrown loaf of bread that looked rock hard and a bucket.

A bowl of water! Water! There was water!

Her instincts went into overdrive. When she saw the water she immediately tried to get closer but the chain prevented her from doing so. She fell as she tried again and then she stood up again. Her throat ached. She was in desperate need for some water. She tried to force the chain to give out or at least to extend a little bit but it had no slack left. She pulled her leg and then pulled some more. She used her free leg to try and reach the bowl but the angle wasn't right and she couldn't do it. Her throat burned with thirst. She had to drink that water and yet she couldn't reach it. She cried in frustration.

This was too cruel. They had put water and food in front of her but made sure she couldn't reach it. More tears fell on her dirty cheeks.

Her knees gave out and she fell on the floor. The impact hurt her already scratched knees and she cried even more. And then as she saw the distance between her and the water she realized something.

She could reach the water _! But only if she crawled there_. If she lied on the floor as far as her body and the chain would allow her then her face logically would be able to get to the bowl of water.

She was horrified! They expected from her to drink and eat like she was an animal! She refused to do such a thing so she turned her head to the other side. She wasn't going to give to anyone the satisfaction to treat her like this.

.

.

She didn't know if minutes or hours passed by but the thirst was becoming even more demanding to the point of madness. She was casting glances at the tempting bowl of water. She knew that in the end she would die without water and she didn't know how long she would stay in here or how long she was already in here. She had to survive but she didn't want to do such a thing.

Time passed and the water was calling her. She was seeing stars at this point. She needed to drink!

No matter how humiliating the thought and the circumstances were her thirst won. It was worth a shot if she didn't want to die from thirst.

She lied on the floor and pressed her body forward as far as it could go. Shame covered her like a shroud but there were no other choices left.

She could swear that someone was watching her. It was like a cold feeling at the pit of her stomach. Like someone's gaze was drilling to her back. She ignored it. She had to ignore it.

She had to pull the chain again. As an old cheerleader she was flexible though so she stretched her body as much as she could. First her legs and then her upper body. Her chest was touching the floor and was sliding forward. She realized there was mud on the floor. She didn't care. At this point all she wanted to do was drink some water. Her throat was scratchy and was screaming for it. She then understood that she didn't really know how _much_  time had passed ever since they took her. It could be more than just a few hours. It could be more than a day or even worse. This kind of thirst was an indicator that a great length of time has passed.

She stretched even more and then finally her face was millimeters away from the water. She moved her head in her right and left in order to remove her damp hair out of the way and then finally her dry and torn lips touched the water. She gulped as much as she could in one go. She coughed. Her throat was so dry that she could barely swallow. The water that touched her torn lips burned like fire and yet as it touched her tongue it felt divine. She had reached Eden. She kept drinking in a desperate effort to quench her thirst. The water was stale and cold and was tickling her nose as she drank but she didn't care. She didn't care if there was anything in the water. She didn't care what kind of bacteria could be in it. All she cared for was the fact that it was running down her throat and making her feel alive again. As she was drinking the surface of the water was going lower inside the bowl and it was getting harder for her to drink. She had to push her face more inside the bowl.

And then she heard the worst noise she had heard in her life.

_Laughter._

She was so thirsty and in an immediate need of water that while she was drinking she didn't hear that someone had opened the door and entered the cell.

She was so startled that she moved her head up so abruptly that the bowl of water turned over and the rest of the water splashed on the floor.

The man just laughed more and she immediately moved back to the wall as far as she could go in trepidation.

"Learning your place human?" he asked mockingly. He was tall and had dark hair. His eyes were hard and he was wearing leather clothes.

She brought her knees on her chest again in an effort to cover herself. She was just in her underwear. She knew it was hopeless. She was chained on a wall and she was handcuffed. He could do anything he wanted to her. Besides if he was indeed a vampire she wouldn't be able to defend herself against his strength even if she wasn't tied up.

She didn't care. Anger swelled in her chest! They didn't have the right to treat her like this!

"Who are you? What do you want? Why am I here?" she fired questions at him.

He ignored her questions and looked at the turned over bowl on the floor.

"Look what you have done!" he mocked her some more.

"Oh well that's too bad. One bowl of water per day. Those are the rules," he told her.

"Why am I here?" she screamed at him.

His gaze turned lethal and his eyes changed. Veins formed around them. Blood filled them.

She couldn't speak anymore. Her heart almost stopped at this sight. She closed her eyes. This was a nightmare. She would wake up and she would be at her home. This wasn't happening to her. When she opened her eyes she saw that his eyes had turned back to normal and he wore a sadistic smile on his face.

He then looked at her with a disgusted expression.

"You got yourself all dirty human," he said and she could hear how demeaning his tone got when he called her human. It was like he was insulting her.

"Here let me help," he told her and before she could even see him move he had thrown cold water on her.

She screamed as the freezing water hit her with incredible force.

She heard him laughing and dropping down the bucket he obviously had brought with him when he got in the cell.

She couldn't speak or react. Water was dropping from her hair and body and with it part of the mud and her most of her hopes were rinsed away.

She wasn't strong enough. She cried in front of this monster and his laughter was the more painful thing she had endured so far. Not even when her head collided with her car window she had felt such pain.

He went and picked up the bowl from the floor.

"See ya tomorrow human," he said and took his bucket and the bowl with him.

He left her prison and closed the door behind him with a thud. She heard the lock turning and after a while his laughter faded away.

She was freezing. She couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. She was in pain. She was degraded and all alone in hell. She wanted her mom and her dad.

She wanted to leave this place. She wanted someone to rescue her from this nightmare. She wanted to live.

She heard someone screaming in pain and she shuddered in fear. What was this place? What was happening here?

The screams kept going. They were screams of pure agony and with her hands chained behind her back she couldn't even close her ears to shut the terrifying sound out.

She laid on the floor over the pool of the water that was thrown at her and she curled her body in a fetal position. She then cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

* * *

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**New England**

**Providence, Rhode Island**

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Elijah looked at the sleeping form of the naked woman in his bed. His eyes trailed over every curve and line of her enticing body. He had kept her around for centuries. Their kind didn't believe in the bonds of marriage but for him this woman was his wife.

It was this decision that estranged him from his brother in the first place. Klaus considered his love for this woman a betrayal towards him and their bond.

Maybe he was right but he was never able to let her go.

_**England 1492** _

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.

_The moon was rising. There was nothing he could do to help her get out of this. Soon Klaus' s warlock would come to take her. Everything was set. Tonight was the moment his brother was waiting for. For more than 5 centuries Klaus awaited for this night to come._

_And he stood by him all this time. Always and forever._

_But now all he could think was that he was going to lose her. Klaus was going to kill her tonight and yet the elixir would bring her back to life. But he couldn't stand to see her suffer. To suffer the life she would have to lead after tomorrow. He knew that his brother would probably compel her after the ritual and then he would truly lose her forever. Her spirit would be gone. But even if Klaus wouldn't show her the mercy of compulsion and would just force her to do what he wanted he would still lose her._

_After tonight Klaus would control her human life. He would take her blood and every offspring she would produce._

_Klaus needed her alive after the sacrifice. That was a given. He needed her blood and he needed her to reproduce heirs to the doppelganger line._

_Katerina was going to be given to one of Rebekah's blood servants. And if he knew his brother well, and that he did, eventually he would pass her around to as many men –either servants or human confidents of his—as possible. That way she would continuously bare children._

_But that way she would also lose her soul and everything that made her who she was. The only woman that after so many centuries made him feel human again. She looked so much like Iona and Tatia and yet in her face all he could see was the light that belonged to her own unique soul._

_He loved his brother. He had helped him for centuries. He and Klaus had formed the councils. Both of them together brought order to the underworld centuries ago. He was the one that found Katerina for Klaus._

_But as time passed her smile had entered his heart. He couldn't let her suffer like this._

_Maybe his motives were more selfish. Maybe he just wanted her for himself. Either way he had to do something. Now before it was too late._

_He had easily passed through his brother's guards._

_As he entered her room he saw her lying on the bed. She looked peaceful and more beautiful than ever. She had no idea that in a few hours she would live a nightmare. He couldn't help her get out of this but at least he could help her survive what was to come after the sacrifice._

_He thought that if he was going to do the thing he was thinking he would lose his brother forever. But as the candle lights casted their shine over this sleeping beauty he understood that this was a price he would willingly pay._

_He sat on the bed and he gently caressed her cheek._

_She sleepily opened her eyes and then she woke up with a start. He smiled at her._

" _Elijah?"_

_Her voice trembled. A man in her room in such an hour was inexcusable. Even more so since he was the brother of her betrothed. Her breathing quickened._

" _What are you…"_

_She didn't get the chance to complete her sentence. He put his hand on her mouth to prevent her from talking._

" _Do not make a sound!" he warned her and the urgency in his voice startled the woman in front of him. Her eyes grew bigger but he didn't detect fear in her._

_She nodded and he removed his hand._

" _Do you trust me Katerina?" he asked her and his hope flared when she saw her blushing._

" _Very much so my lord," she whispered._

" _There are many things I want to tell you but I don't have the time, I just want you to place your faith upon me and to know that what I am about to is for your own good," he said._

" _I…Elijah," she uncertainly pronounced his name without any care for the proper title and behavior anymore "I don't understand, what are you doing here and in such an hour?" she tentatively asked._

" _Don't be afraid of me," he implored her._

" _Why would I…" and then she froze. She covered her mouth with her hand as she saw Elijah's eyes changing. New teeth forming on his mouth. The pale shade of his face turning deadly._

_She wanted to speak but she couldn't. She wanted to be afraid but she oddly felt safe._

_After what seemed like a long time Elijah's eyes turned back to his normal beautiful gentle color. All traces of blood gone. The veins disappeared._

" _What are you?" she asked in awe._

" _Your only chance to survive this night," he told her and a sound of fear escaped her throat._

" _What, what are you talking about, what are you?" her voice barely above a whisper._

" _Tonight my brother will sacrifice you in an old ritual; your blood is the key to break a curse that was placed upon him centuries ago by a powerful coven of witches," he told her and admired her ability to stay silent and generally calm. But terror marked her gaze._

" _Me and my brother are vampires, we have walked on this earth ever since the creation of mankind" he told her knowing that all these were too much for her to handle but there was no time._

" _It can't be…" she said trembling._

" _You live in a world of monsters my lady," he said._

" _Why?...What…I.." she tried to breathe," what do I have to do with any of these," she asked him as a tear fell from her eye._

" _Your blood has ancient roots…in time all shall be revealed…right now though time is running out and explanations will have to wait… but… I can help you…if you let me," he told her with all his sincerity. His tone ominous._

" _How?" she asked him afraid._

" _Believe in me. Trust me Katerina," his voice a mixture of love and honesty and then his eyes changed again._

_Oddly enough she didn't back away, not even when he bit his wrist and extended his arm in front of her mouth. His blood falling on her cleavage and her white night gown._

_She looked at him straight in his vampiric eyes and her fingers touched the veins on his face. Admiration and astonishment shined in her gaze._

" _Drink," he whispered._

_Trust. This was all about trust. Later on they would both believe that she wasn't terrified of his nature in that moment because she was made to be his. She belonged to their kind and that night was meant to be._

_But at that definite moment it was all about the trust they shared._

_And she did trust him. He was a monster and yet he was Elijah. The kind gentle man that had earned a place in her heart even when she believed in her vows to marry Lord Klaus and thought it was forbidden to care for the Lord brother of her betrothed._

_She gave him her trust that night as she drank from his arm and changed her fate. Her brown locks falling over his skin and sanguine color dropping from the side of her lips as his wound closed and she gulped down his ancient blood._

_He gave her a chance at eternal life and survival as he kissed her lips that were now tainted with his blood. He brought her close as his betrayal to his brother was sealed and the promise to save the woman he loved was becoming a reality._

_Klaus could break his curse tonight but after that Katerina would come back to life as a vampire. Her blood would not belong to his brother. She would be his forever._

.

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Elijah closed his eyes as memories of that night flooded his mind.

Klaus had killed Katerina. He stood there and watched as Klaus's guards dragged the woman he loved into a circle of fire. His heart broke at her tears and fear. He stood there as Klaus drunk her blood and stole her last breath. He couldn't do anything to stop her suffering and he would forever regret his incapability to save her from such a death but it was the only way to ensure her survival.

He was the one to take her lifeless body away as his brother transformed into a wolf again after five hundred years. The curse was broken but when Klaus returned he and Katerina had fled England.

She turned into one of them and they escaped his brother's wrath for centuries.

Only when the next doppelganger was born and Klaus got what he wanted they were able to have contact again and that due to their siblings' persistence and due to the pleadings of their councils. Him and Klaus formed a communication again but not like before. Never like before. He knew that he would have to be extra careful and to keep his eyes open always unless he wanted a dagger in his heart and his woman unprotected.

Katerina was still banished from their court and their council gatherings. But at least he and Klaus had formed a relationship again after so many centuries. Even if it was a strained one.

A relationship he would have to break again with a new betrayal. Because he couldn't allow his brother to start a war with the humans. His principals didn't allow it. The promise he had given to Katerina didn't allow it either. He had failed her three years ago but he couldn't do it again.

He looked outside the window. The sun was rising.

Klaus had the girl in his hands and the hearing was tonight. He had to stop him at all costs. Caroline Forbes needed to be returned to her family. He only hoped that he could help the girl before it was too late.

_For all of them._

* * *

She had lost all sense of time. She didn't know if it was day or night. No light entered this dungeon. She didn't know what time it was or how long she had stayed in that rotting hole with the rats as her only company. All she knew was that life was ebbing away from her body and yet she found that she almost didn't care.  _Almost._

No one had released her from the chains on her hands all this time. She couldn't even feel her body anymore. She was certain that she was going to freeze to death. She was coughing and her throat had almost closed. For countless times she had screamed to them to let her out, to set her free. No one had answered. No one cared. Then she had just screamed until all her mouth could produce was silence.

Filth was covering her whole body now as she stared at the stony ceiling meters above her. The white of her skin had disappeared under the black color of dust and mud. There was slimy goo on her body and hair.

Her hair was a mess and by this point was glued on her scalp, forehead and neck. She didn't care. Not after her body and mind betrayed her like the way they did.

Cold sweat had covered her flesh and her torn and dirty underwear were stuck on her body like a second skin. Hypothermia had taken over.

Logically she should be afraid of her impending death but after what happened to her she didn't care anymore. She was just lying on the floor like a ghost.

When the guard that had thrown her the cold water left she had cried her eyes out. She couldn't stop the freezing cold from taking over until she surrendered to exhaustion. That must have happened days ago. She wasn't sure anymore.

After the incident with the water she had slept. It was her only way out of this place. When she had finally woken up she couldn't understand where she was for a moment. She was cold and in pain but in her dream she was with Elena and Bonnie at their cheerleading practice and they were laughing. She could still hear and feel that laughter and back then as she had open her eyes and had to squint them hard into the darkness in order to see that she wasn't in the cheerful dream of her past but in the hell of her present.

She had stood motionless then looking at space like a zombie. She had been beaten, kidnapped, abused, stripped almost naked, chained. She had to drink water like she was an untamed animal and they had thrown cold water at her that was inviting pneumonia in her body. She had been locked at a place with no light or air. A place that was so dirty that covered her whole. They had taken her freedom away and soon they would take her life too. She had been thinking all of these things again and again until her eyes had fallen on the loaf of bread and the bucket that were left on the other side of the cell.

She had started at them mutely for hours. She could understand why they had left the bread but she couldn't understand the existence of the bucket until it hit her hard. The horrifying reality had made her cry harder.

The bucket was there for when she would want to relieve herself. As the dreadful understanding of her situation was finally washing over her she had realized that she really wouldn't survive this. She couldn't. She wasn't a trooper like her mother. She wasn't a soldier like her father. She was not made out of hard material. She was bossy and she could order others around and organize events but she wasn't meant for this horror. She had just entered college. Her life was about to begin. She wasn't supposed to be chained and treated like a beast. She was spoilt yes. But here it wasn't about that. They were depriving her basic human rights. They were stripping her bare. They were taking her dignity away.

As time slowly progressed she had felt her bladder ache and she had wanted to die. She had thought that she wasn't going to pee in a bucket while she was chained like a wild beast. By then her stomach was growling and she still wanted to drink water.

If someone asked her now she would say that she was able to relieve every moment like it was happening again. Like it was happening right now.

_The chains were cutting her circulation. She was in pain and she could barely breathe. Her teeth were chattering. She wanted to eat but she couldn't move. Even if she could she wouldn't eat like a dog. She preferred to die. She couldn't relieve the same shame. The laughter of that vampire that had found her spread on the stones and drinking from a bowl like she was a restrained kitten was still echoing in her ears. It would forever be imprinted in her memory._

_She had fallen asleep back then and when she woke up she saw that a new bowl of water had been placed next to the hard bread and the bucket._

_Hot tears had spread on her face and immediately turned cold. The vampire had said that he would be bringing her a bowl of water every day. So she had been at least a day in that hell hole. Something told her it was more than just a day even if it was impossible to calculate time in this place. By that moment her bladder ached harder. The need to use a toiler was emerging more demanding than ever and yet she squeezed her legs and refused to allow herself to be degraded like that. Because she still remembered that the bucket was further away from the bowl of water. She had barely reached the water so if she needed to use the bucket she would have to drag it closer to her. But she didn't have the use of her hands anymore so she would have to use her face or teeth._

_Hours were passing by and hunger and thirst were taking over. In that place time was expanding. She didn't know anymore. She couldn't perceive any notion of time. Seconds seemed like hours and what she thought about days could have easily been a few hours… or not. She didn't know. All she knew was that she was too dizzy and exhausted._

_She fell asleep again but when she woke up she couldn't do this anymore. She cried her shame and crawled towards the bowl of water. She drank again like the first time and even though there was no one to laugh at her this time she could still hear mocking laughter aimed at her in her head. Her dirty tears mixed with the water and after that she took some bites from the bread. She had to bite hard again and again, while steadying the bread on the floor with her forehead, in order to cut some pieces and then she chewed them even harder in order to push them down her throat._

_She looked at the bucket feeling the immense need to pee. She regretted drinking water again since it increased that need. She turned her head on the other side and her nausea came back._

_She once again fell asleep. She didn't know or remembered by then how many times she was falling asleep and then waking up. It was the only constant thing she could do. Every single time she would be awake she would want to go back to sleep again because in her dreams she was safe and happy. But eventually even her dreams vanished and she was left all alone in the dark between dreamless slumbers and a hellish reality._

_And then it happened._

_Her eyes suddenly opened wide because the pain in her bladder was so painful that she couldn't stand it. Her body wasn't obeying her anymore. She could hardly move and she could never reach the bucket in time. As hot liquid trailed down her thighs like a flood hot pain entered her heart. This act was the last straw for her. The terrible savage lack of humanity broke her. She turned her head then as her stomach couldn't stop from convulsing and she threw up._

_She stayed there after that as an immovable object. Her spirit dead as she remained chained to her own waste. She didn't want to fight even for such a basic thing as human breath anymore. Because every time she was breathing she was inhaling the stench of her own piss and vomit. The sticky liquid on her legs turned to ice. She couldn't believe what had happened. This wasn't her. This was not her body. She wasn't living this. She was home, she was in her bed safe and sound and this was a bad dream. Just a bad dream and she would wake up and that would be it. But she wasn't home. She was in a prison and for the first time she was feeling hate. Hate for her own body and for the monsters that degraded her like this._

After that nothing mattered. Time didn't matter. The hope to be found and be saved didn't matter. She couldn't believe that it was able for anyone to be broken in such short period of time but then again she didn't know what time felt anymore. It seemed like the longest period of time to her.

And in that period everything she had been taking for granted like food, water and warmth in her life didn't exist. She didn't exist.

_She stayed like that forever. And as her suffering and torment progressed she felt like she was losing her mind._

_She could feel soft kisses in her cheek from when her mom used to wake her up to get her ready for school. She could feel her father's hands giggling her. She was a kid and she was happy._

_She knew that hallucinations had begun but she welcomed them. Because in those illusions she was with Bonnie checking out boys and she was with Elena as they were getting ready to go to parties. She was reliving her first kiss and her first heartbreak that had left such sweet sorrow in her heart. She was with Matt and she was with Tyler. She was at her prom and she was graduating._

_She stopped drinking water. She didn't care. Deep down she didn't want to die but she wouldn't give anymore satisfaction to these monsters. Better to die than to live like this she thought._

_She couldn't tell how many days passed because when she was opening her eyes the bowl of water was still there. Full. She didn't know if someone was bringing new water when she was asleep or if it was the one she refused to drink._

_A guard entered the cell. She couldn't tell if this was indeed happening or if it was a fragment of her imagination. She could barely keep her eyes open but she saw that he wasn't the same man that had thrown the water to her._

" _You are starving yourself" he told her in a reprimanding tone._

_She didn't respond. She just looked elsewhere. She didn't even try to cover her dirty half naked body._

_He came near her and grabbed her by her filthy hair causing her head to hurt but she didn't cry out. Fuck you she thought. I won't scream for you monsters anymore._

" _Would you rather for me to shove my blood down your throat little girl?" he threatened her._

_She cringed at that thought. Bile rose in her mouth at the possibility._

_He let her hair go then and he decided to show some mercy. He brought the water and the bread next to her._

" _Eat. Drink," he ordered._

_He expected from her to bend over and eat and drink from the floor again. She didn't move an inch. When he realized that she wouldn't oblige he took the bread from the floor, he cut it in pieces and tried to feed her himself._

_She tried to move her head away and then he shoved some bread in her mouth by force and she defiantly spat it at his face._

" _Leave me alone!" she yelled at him._

_He looked at her angrily but she didn't feel even fear at that point._

" _If you drink and eat I will take_ _off_ _the cuff from your leg," he promised her._

_She looked at him with hope for a moment but she couldn't believe him. Monsters lie she thought._

" _I give you my word human," he said._

" _It means nothing," she spat._

_The man then sighed and took a key out of his back pocket. He unchained her leg and then she looked at him blinking surprised._

_The surprise lasted for less than a second as rage swelled in her chest. The force of that emotion brought her back to life for some moments. He wasn't doing her a favor. He wasn't showing her mercy! He didn't have the right to do any of these things to her. Those chains shouldn't be on her!_

" _Last chance. Either you eat and drink or I'll feed you my blood," he told her with finality._

_That was a line she couldn't cross. He fed her the bread then and she felt more dirty and more humiliated than ever. He then gave water to her and she drank it eagerly as her thirst was still violent and was screaming even for the last drop of water._

_When she ate and drank the guard had flashed away but before she could even blink he was standing in front of her again. He was holding a long chain and she tried to move away as fear overcame her._

_He didn't pay any attention to her as he unlocked the short chain that was attached in the link on the wall and put in its place the long one he had brought. Then he abruptly turned her around and linked the new chain to the handcuffs that held her hands tied up behind her back._

_He left again and returned with fresh water in a bowl that was a cleaner one that the ones before and new bread that looked soft._

" _Those better be gone when we bring you new ones. Not all guards will be as kind as I was," he threatened her and then he left._

_Silent tears fell as she was left once again alone._

_The new chain the guard brought her was long enough for her to be able to stand and walk around several steps. She could even reach the bucket now._

_She had felt weird being able to walk again. As she realized that even walking was a privilege in this place that could be given to her or be taken away like it was nothing she broke down in anger. She thrashed and kicked at the stone wall again and again almost breaking her toes and feet in undiluted rage and frustration. She tired herself so much that she fell on the ground so exhausted like she had run for miles._

_Some more time passed and she kneeled and drank more water, she ate the bread and then got up and went to the bucket. She lowered her panties with much difficulty since her hands were cuffed behind her back and then she used the bucket. When she finished she looked at it horrified._

_She realized that she didn't even think twice before using it. It had been normal for her and had even seemed like a more 'civilized' choice and a thing she ought to do. Dreadful realization settled. They had indeed broken her. They had turned her to a potty trained animal._

_In her mindless rage she kicked the bucket away with all her strength sending it to the other side of the cell, spreading her waste all around. Now the bucket was out of reach and if she needed to use it again she wouldn't be able to. She would have to relive the horror of peeing herself of even worse._

_She fell on her knees completely humiliated as everything that had happen to her in that last period of time replayed in her mind again and again._

She had fallen on the floor and hadn't picked herself up since then.

And now she was there lost and broken hoping for an end to come.

* * *

.

.

**New Orleans. French Quarter.**

.

.

No one dared interrupt them and with a good reason.

He held Stefan by the neck as he was suspending him in mid air against the wall. Stefan's legs tangled desperately before his hands reached Klaus's arm that felt more like a steel clamp over his throat. He tried to pry his throat crashing grip away but he couldn't.

"All I asked for was your  **loyalty!** " He roared to him.

"Not all Klaus." Stefan barely got the phrase out of his mouth since Klaus was crashing his windpipe.

100 years of servitude. This was their deal that took effect 2 years ago. Stefan had given up his life and a chance to be with the woman he loved. Now he was Klaus' right hand.

He was once again known as the ripper and he was doing Klaus's dirty job most of the times.

"Small price to pay considering your betrayal don't you think?" Klaus dismissively told him as he removed his hand.

Stefan fell on the floor and rubbed his sore neck. He then stood up and glared at Klaus.

"You know very well that I never cared for what you would do to me," he said with conviction.

Klaus looked silently at him, anger still in his eyes. Usually he dismissed Stefan's outbursts and snarky comments. This time he went to get a drink as he said.

"No, you just cared for what I would do to those you love," his voice deliberately menacing.

Stefan gritted his teeth. He didn't answer because it was true. And he should know better than to provoke Klaus.

Klaus looked at his comrade with contempt.

"You should have paid more attention. Love is weakness. A fleeting shade of useless emotion that means nothing," he said as he drank his scotch at one go, "It renders you powerless and makes you bow down like you did to me," he said as he played with his empty crystal glass and watched the way the light reflected on the glass.

He went and stood in front of Stefan with lethal intent.

"We do not feel and we do not care Stefan. For every weakness and mistake there is always a price to pay. And now here we stand yet again. Once more you betray my trust," his voice low and dangerous.

Stefan knew what Klaus would do if he believed that he betrayed him and he couldn't allow that to happen. Many things were at stake here. So he averted his eyes and took a deep breath.

"It wasn't like that," he said as he sighed and went to get a drink of his own.

"No? What was it like then?" Klaus asked as his eyes followed Stefan's every move.

Stefan took a sip from his glass but this time the alcohol seemed to have the taste of ash. He felt useless. He couldn't protect those that he cared about and tonight Klaus would once again get what he wanted.

"She doesn't deserve what you are planning for her Klaus," he finally said looking at Klaus with a grave expression.

Klaus now looked at him amused.

" _She?"_ he asked raising his eyebrow.

"Caroline," Stefan answered not amused.

Klaus smirked and crossed his hands behind his back and took some steps forward.

"Ah, the girl. What about her?" he conversationally asked.

"She shouldn't be here. She is-"

Whatever Stefan was about to say was interrupted by Klaus inquiring voice.

"She is what?" he asked. A note of dark mirth in his voice.

Stefan couldn't play this game anymore. He knew Caroline for some time now. She was his friend. He had played a role in her suffering too. But he couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Klaus would break her and then he would kill her. He already knew that she was kept locked in the dungeons of the estate. That place was hell for humans.

Klaus had ordered the guards to not let him go anywhere near the dungeons for as long they kept Caroline there and there was no point to go and get her by force. He wouldn't be able to take her out of this place, not with so many hybrids and vampires around. Klaus had indeed created an army and this place was like a fortress. Not like. It was a fortress. It could even stand an attack and a lock down. No one got in and no one got out without Klaus's approval.

But even without seeing her he already knew what was happening to Caroline. All humans that were thrown in that place suffered. The vampires called those dungeons reformatories. He called them hell. When he first struck his deal with Klaus he had made him go to the dungeons. Klaus wanted to know he could trust him and that he would do anything he would ask of him but also wanted to bring back to life his sadistic side. Sometimes he was meant to be a guard, others a torturer and others he was forced to release his ripper persona. That place has been hell not only for its prisoners but also for him too. And now also for Caroline.

He knew for sure that Caroline was under Klaus's "protection" so the guards wouldn't lay a hand on her but there were multiple ways of making a young human girl suffer without laying a hand upon her.

Awful images of what might be happening to Caroline in her cell right now as they spoke flashed in his mind.

"She is just a girl. Let her go," he pleaded.

Klaus went and leaned at the edge of his office.

"Your misguided affection for humans is becoming really tiresome Stefan. I have left you among them for far too long," he said like it was something that could be rectified.

For Stefan those past months have been a breath of fresh air. There, between the humans pretending to be one of them. He had been able to live like a normal person again. He connected with people and felt like himself. Or more precisely he was able to get in touch with the human side of himself. The side he so has missed.

He knew that it was a lie because he could never erase his past and his nature but for some moments he could live by that lie. He could work and walk down the road as a human. He could relax and enjoy a quiet evening as one. He could even make friends that wanted nothing in return from him. Friends that cared and didn't judge him. Friends like … _Caroline._

"You should have never have gone to my brother with this," Klaus all but yelled at him frustrated knowing very well that Elijah would again try to intervene with his plans, "Yet again you are crossing me for a …human!" he spat with a voice filled with venom.

This made Stefan lose his temper as well.

"She has a name! She is not just a human. She is a person with emotions and thoughts!" he said with anger.

"You don't say," Klaus smirked. Irony painting his tone.

Stefan ran his hand over his hair.

"Caroline is a ray of light Klaus. She is a beautiful person. She is funny and smart but deep down she is lost and lonely. She is not meant for this. Let her go," he implored him.

But this time he also knew that he couldn't strike a deal with Klaus. He didn't have anything else to bargain anyway. But even if he did he knew that Klaus wouldn't back down from this.

"Caroline is a human end of story," Klaus said with finality.

Stefan looked at him desperately.

"She-"

"She now belongs to me! " Klaus interrupted him, anger emanating from his body. They way he talked about Caroline proved that in his mind it was a done deal.

"Not yet!" Stefan defied him.

Klaus laughed.

"After tonight she will be one of my possessions Stefan. If you dare oppose my claim I will consider our deal null and void and there will be consequences. I would advise you to tread carefully."

Stefan knew exactly what Klaus meant. He remained silent. He couldn't do anything for Caroline. If he did people he cared for would pay the price. _She_  would pay the price.

Klaus's eyes darkened.

"You have crossed the line for the last time… _friend_. There won't be another."

He left the room leaving Stefan behind.

Stefan closed his eyes. He couldn't help Caroline anymore; her only hope now lied with Elijah. But he was afraid that this hope was less than slim and it wouldn't be enough to help her escape her fate.

* * *

She loved autumn, the gentle breeze and the falling leafs; the aching blue sky and the soft rays of light behind the clouds. And she loved the rain. Feeling its early drops; smelling its scent. Those simple moments in the sun and in the rain were those that had found their way into the recesses of her mind. She wanted to find herself back in Mystic Falls and to jog through the streets and the woods near the cemetery. She wanted to feel the new season caressing her again. To be free, out in the open road and to look upon the sky again. That seemed more and more distant now. She didn't believe that she would get out of this cell ever again.

She didn't know what they wanted from her. She didn't know what she has done to them in order to kidnap her and throw her in this place that was sucking all life present.

In the time she had spent here she came to the conclusion that it couldn't be anything that had to do with her. So it had to be her parents. Both of her parents were publicly known for fighting vampires so this had to be it. But in any case this didn't change the fact that no matter the reason she was dumped in this hell. And from the looks of it no one was going to help her.

She was completely numb and lost in her thoughts when she heard the door of the cell opening.

She didn't even care to look at that direction. All she wanted was to be left alone in her misery.

But then two steady hands found their way under her body. They lifted her up and she blinked surprised. She was so frozen inside that she didn't even feel fear. Then she looked up and saw that those hands belonged to the man that had fed her and gave her water.

Her eyes were now used to the dark and she could she her jailer clearly.

Her gaze found his and for a moment she thought that she saw sympathy in it but then the chain that held her captive rattled and his look changed again. It turned cold and empty.

He made her lean against the wall. She was unsteady and her feet could barely keep her up.

She was about to let herself fall on the floor again when he ordered her.

"Lean against the wall and try to stand up."

His voice held no emotion and she ironically smiled. She indeed  _smiled_.

"And if I don't?" she asked.

She didn't know how she found the strength to provoke her torturers and yet she did it. It was nice actually. It showed her that her real self the one that was independent and somewhat strong was still there. Underneath all the despair she was still there. Or maybe she just didn't care of what was going to happen to her anymore.

"Then I will have to chain you up to the hanger," he told her and pointed with his eyes at a chain with a hook that was hanging from the ceiling. She hadn't noticed this particular chain before but then again this place had no light and had so many chains that it wasn't such a surprise she had missed it. If he were to chain her up there then she would probably be left hanging from the ceiling like a piece of meat.

She didn't say anything. She just glared at him and she stood up straighter.

Then three girls came inside.

All of them scantily dressed. Their bodies wrapped in short sheer rags that left nothing to imagination. She gulped as she saw puncture wounds on their bodies. They were barefoot and seemed pale.

Her breathing became shorter as she saw that one of them brought with her a metal trolley. Over it there were soaps, sponges, a bottle of shampoo and towels. She was surprised with this and yet suspicious.

Her eyes bugged out when she saw the girls kneeling on the dirty floor and keeping their heads bowed down.

The guard left them for a moment and returned with a hosepipe.

"You've got to be kidding me," she grunted between her teeth.

The guard left the hose on the floor and came near her. He turned her around and unchained the cuff from her left wrist. She almost screamed with pleasure as she felt her hands falling on her sides. Her right wrist was still handcuffed to the chain that was connected to the wall but at least now she could move and use her hands again.

After her hands being tied behind her back for so long she could feel her joints hurting really badly and both of her arms felt like they weighted more than a ton each. When she could finally move them again she rubbed her shoulders trying to warm herself a little bit for the first time after all these days. She then rubbed her free wrist with her still handcuffed hand and she finally felt like her circulation there was somewhat restored. At least to her now free hand. She moaned at the feeling.

The guard turned to the girls and told them.

"You have 20 minutes."

He then looked at her and pointed his finger as a warning.

"Don't do anything stupid," he threatened her.

Seriously though what could she do when she was still chained to a freaking wall?

Then he took out of his jacket a flash light and switched it on. He placed it on the trolley pointed at her. The first flash of light made her eyes hurt but at last there was some light in this dark damp hole. She looked down at her body and saw how dirty she exactly was. The sight disgusted her.

The guard left but left the door open. All three girls got up and moved around. They seemed like ghosts.

The one girl took a pair of scissors out of the cart and she took a step back.

"What are you doing with that?" she asked looking at the scissors and backing away scared.

All girls remained silent. Two of them approached her and held her still. She saw the other coming near her with the scissors.

She struggled when she saw the blades opening but the two other girls held her by her upper arms. They weren't that strong but she was exhausted so they could retain her.

"Wait! What are you doing?" she yelled at the girl that was approaching.

She didn't get any answer but she saw the sharp metals moving closer and closer to her. She tried to move back but before she could even yell to the girl again the scissors had cut the one strap of her bra.

She was taken aback when the girl cut the other strap too and then the front of her bra in the middle. The torn cloth fell on the dirty floor in pieces.

She was too weak and startled to react.

Before she could understand what was going on her panties fell on the floor at the same state.

She was now standing completely bare in front of these girls and tears fell from her face. Not only she didn't know if they were to give her anything else to wear again but also those underwear where the last thing she possessed. The last thing that belonged to her.

She stared at the torn dirty underwear feeling like her last shield was taken away from her. She owned nothing in this place anymore. Not even her dignity.

The girls let her go and more tears fell from her eyes. She didn't even make a move to cover herself from them. Through her teary eyes saw that the girls moved towards the trolley and blinked confused when she saw that all of them had tattoos on their back shoulders. Tattoos that looked the same. Before she could see them better cold water was been thrown at her with extreme force and she yelped. The girl that had cut her underwear was now holding the hosepipe against her. Water was bursting out of it and was hitting her skin almost bruising her. It was really cold but was also rejuvenating her.

The two other girls next to her ignored the water that was wetting them too and started cleaning her up. Both of them had a bar of soap and a sponge in their hands and kept rubbing her skin causing foam to appear. Bits of mud and dirt mixed with the soap trailed her body as water constantly rained on her. The girls kept scrubbing her hard. Her hands, her under arms, her back, her legs. They kept scrubbing her continuously with the soaps and the sponges and even though she wanted to stop them from touching her, the feeling of being cleansed was one that she couldn't resist. She yearned to feel clean again. She shut her eyes as they kept lathering her body and tried to put out of her mind that she was still chained on a wall inside a dungeon and was being washed and scrubbed down like she was a horse or something. It was obvious that they wanted to break her spirit. Everything they have done to her so far had one goal. To make her feel less than a human. Or maybe this is how they perceived humans to be. In each case they have achieved it.

She felt the girl on her left scrubbing her breasts and the other her ass and she bit her lip. She wasn't a shy person. She used to be a cheerleader and she had changed in front of the girls of her team plenty of times and had washed many times also at the shower cubicles in her school where all her squad was going but this was so different. This felt degrading and dirty.

What was making her feel even worse was the unsettling emotion she was feeling again. There were times in that cell that she could swear that someone was watching her. Moments like this one right now. Cold moments that were turning her blood into ice. And yet only her and the three girls were in there and no one else. She supposed that she was turning paranoid and with a good excuse. She was a prisoner in hell. No wonder she felt like that. And yet that foreign emotion was really intimidating.

When she felt the hand of one of the girls moving down to clean her most private parts she opened her eyes and instantly took the soap from her hand. The girl nodded and let her clean herself on her own. She scrubbed herself hard down there remembering how she had peed herself and the tears that sprang from her eyes at that memory disappeared under the icy water that was being splashed over her. She kept laving the soap over her body trying to wash out not only the dirt that the cell and her piss had left upon her skin but also inside her soul. Soon enough the water that was falling from her body stopped looking blackish and turned just soapy.

Then one of the girls, the brunette one, poured some shampoo on her matted hair and started washing them hard. She winced as she felt pain on her head. Obviously there must have been a wound there, from when they hit her head on the car window, but with her hands cuffed behind her back for so long she was unable to touch it. Her hand shot up and touched the skin that was burning her and indeed she felt dried blood on it. Soon her hair felt more like tangled wet curtains falling on her shoulders and less than a dirty stinky mess. She inhaled sharply and realized that the scent of the shampoo was the one she was using at home too.  _Lavender and lilac_. She cringed at the thought that this couldn't be a coincidence.

After a while and after a lot of shampoo and a lot of scrubbing she felt like she was finally all clean again.

The girl that held the hosepipe closed the water and then brought her a towel. She was dripping all over like a drenched cat and she thought that she was going to die from the cold.

She dried herself and then covered her body with the towel as the girl with the red hair and the countless bites on her body used another towel to dry her wet hair.

The floor seemed more of a dirty lake to her now. Her torn underwear has disappeared underneath.

Both girls that washed her were now as wet as she was. The see through garments they wore were stuck on their bodies. They were practically naked since the clothes became practically invincible now that they were wet.

They gave her a comb and she tried to untangle her hair which was proving to be quite hard.

They abruptly took the towels away but before she could panic at the idea of being left completely naked they gave her a near pair of underwear. They were almost identical with those that she wore before. But those were covering less skin and they were clean and brand new. She knew that those wouldn't last long in here either but she was feeling better knowing that at least she could cover her body, or at least part of it, with something. She just wished they could give her more clothes but from being left completely naked this would have to do. She was trying to think of it as a swimming suit. She didn't have any other choice than to think like that.

She wore the panties they gave her and then the bra. The brunette clapped the bra but since her one hand was still cuffed to the wall the one of the two straps was left hanging on the side.

"What is going on?" she asked them but they didn't give her an answer.

"What is this place?" she whispered to them but they remained silent.

She wanted to scream at them but what would be the point? They were like her. Trapped.

Eventually the guard came back in. All girls bowed their heads and kneeled again; they didn't seem to care that they were kneeling over the dirty water and they remained at that position while they kept their eyes on the ground. Those that were wet and completely exposed didn't seem to mind but if she had to be honest the things they were wearing weren't covering anything in the first place.

"Leave," he said dismissively to the girls and they immediately got up, bowed down again and scurried away.

Then he came to her and unlocked the chain from the handcuff on her hand.

"What do you want from me, why am I here?" she asked him. Her tone begging him for answers.

He didn't say anything.

She resigned and wore the bra strap that she couldn't before and then he took her free hand and cuffed it with the other again. This time her hands were tied in the front. She looked at the handcuffs and at her raw wrists with tearful eyes but she refused to let the tears fall in front of the vampire.

He then turned her around and before she could even protest he had her blindfolded.

She heard steps and then a low whistle. She almost jumped and felt nauseous at the thought that someone was now looking at her exposed body and enjoying the sight. She was completely helpless. Anything could happen. And that sound was definitely threatening.

"Hot little stuff isn't she?" a man said and she instinctively took a step back in fear. As she heard that man's laughter she felt small and so weak.

"Take her to Lord Klaus," the guard she knew said and then pushed her some steps in front of him.

She couldn't see anything and that intensified her fear. Then on top of that they put a hood on her head. Her face was not completely covered with a bag. Her breathing became labored.

"Come on sugar," the unknown man said to her as he grabbed her by her upper arm and brought her close.

She shrieked when he whistled some more. He only laughed harder at her reaction and dragged her with him.

She tried to resist but it was of no use.

Something told her that things were about to take a turn for the worse.

* * *

He was holding a black chess piece in his hands. The King. It was always the King. He let it go and took a simple pawn. An expendable pawn that in a chess game he would use as collateral damage. Sometimes even the pawns had their own worth. A purpose to fulfill.

The room's temperature was below 10 °C. He now enjoyed what all other vampires enjoyed. Cold. Ice. Frozen breath. His werewolf side craved for heat but in the last months his vampiric side was growing stronger. And now he had banished all warmth. He longed for coldness.

Normally he would set the temperature even lower but he was now expecting his guest of honor to arrive. The environment would have to be tolerable for her to bear.

He smirked and went to his desk. He finally closed the screen of his laptop. There were hidden cameras inside the cell where Caroline Forbes had been kept and he had watched her a few times these past days with interest. As it was expected she was slowly breaking down and they were only in the beginning.

He was excited to know that he could finally cause pain to the man that had killed his brother. At first he wanted to kill the General but then he realized that his death wouldn't be enough. He wanted him to suffer. He wanted him to feel what hell felt like. And what better way to do that than to destroy his beloved only child.

Caroline would be the one to pay for her father's sins. She would suffer and when he was done with her he would sever her head and send it to her father along with the documents of her suffering and humiliation. He was recording everything. Each and every degrading moment Ms. Forbes has lived in that cell was now saved in his hard drive. And he would document each and every new moment of pain and degradation she would endure in his hands until the end of her life.  _Which would soon come._

He smirked at that. He remembered his old days in Rome and in medieval France. He has learned some of his best tricks there. Tricks he would love to share with this beautiful girl that was now at the mercy of his hands. The only thing that she would soon come to realize was that he had no mercy.

He was definitely going to enjoy this. Now that she was about to be delivered to him he couldn't wait. His hands touched his laptop almost reverently, his whole body thrumming with excitement of what was about to follow. Minutes ago his computer's screen had offered him a perfect view of Caroline as the servants stripped her and washed her milky enticing skin. He had to admit that the last 3 years had been more than kind to her. If possible she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

.

.

_**May 2010. Mystic Falls.** _

.

.

_He was feeling uncomfortable into the body of a human but it was worth it. He couldn't believe his own eyes when he saw her. The same olive skin and doe eyes. The same brown hair. Yes she was the one he was searching for. He had found the doppelganger at last._

_He was glad he had possessed Alaric Saltzman's body because he finally saw Elena._

_He has waited for more than 5 centuries for her arrival. He didn't think it was possible. After Katerina turned into a vampire and escaped with his brother he believed that he had forever lost his chance to create his own race. And yet Elena Gilbert was here. She was alive and she was the spitting image of_ _Iona. She had the same face Tatia had. She was Katerina's replica and her descendant. Her blood was the solution._

_He had to activate her doppelganger gene so he had to repeat the same ritual he did with her ancestor. His werewolf side wouldn't be affected but Elena's blood would change. Its potency would change. Her blood would be the key into making his hybrid army. He already had the potion that would bring her back to life and turn her into the perfect blood source for him._

_Unfortunately Katerina had interfered and warned her and now the Salvatore brothers were determined to make sure that their precious Elena would stay safe and keep her life as she knew it._

_He would have already taken her away if it wasn't for Stefan._

_Stefan didn't remember him but he was his friend. As his friend he was willing to spare him some time. He didn't take Elena away the moment he found out her existence because his old friend was infatuated with her. Of course he also was buying his time. Everything had to be perfect and time was the best ally in situations like this one._

_He couldn't understand how Stefan could have fallen for a human but he knew the Petrova allure. He had felt the pull with Tatia and it almost destroyed him. His brother had felt the same need with Katerina and had betrayed their brotherhood. And now the Salvatore brothers had both fallen for Elena._

_He could understand but he was done playing._

_Mikael was finally dead. He was planning to return Stefan's memories back anyway. So fortunately when all was said and done Stefan would remember the old days and would serve him as his most trusted comrade. They would take Elena with them. He could have her if he wanted to as long as he had access to her blood and as long as she bore children with the male servants of his court. Stefan could keep his beloved Elena in that way if he wished. As long as her blood was his and the Petrova line was ensured he could be generous with his old friend._

_For now though he had to see her. He had to see Elena. And so he did. He was amazed. He could finally be the man he was meant to be. He has been denied of his right to procreate his own kind by his mother thousands of years ago and then he had half of his nature bound 1000 years ago. He had broken the curse that bound his werewolf side with Katerina 500 years ago but thanks to his dear brother Elijah he was unable to complete his deepest desire. To create more hybrids like him. To be able to walk amongst creatures that would feel what he felt, would crave what he wanted, would need what he desired. It was finally time to make things right._

_He was lost in his thoughts, walking at the high school's corridor between all these ignorant teenagers, and for the first time after thousands of years he didn't notice his surroundings and he stumbled over someone. He was in a human body but that was no excuse._

_The person that had fallen on him was shorter so when he lowered his eyes he met a golden halo. A sweet smell of lavender and lilac surrounded him like a cloud._

_Green eyes met his and for a moment he was stunned._

_She was breathtaking._

_A sweet beautiful girl. She couldn't be older than sixteen but he was coming from old ages. Back in his time a girl at the age of sixteen was not a child. She was already a full grown woman._

_And the woman he had in front of him was a vision._

_He wasn't like his brother Kol or like most of the vampires of his court. When he liked a woman he would take her in his bed and then possible drain her but it has been a long time since he has seen such beauty. A woman capable of awakening the hunter in him._

" _Mr. Saltzman I am so sorry," the girl apologized. She had just crashed over her 'history teacher' after all._

_Her sweet voice felt like the siren's song. It was calling him closer._

_He didn't say anything. He just stared at her. If things were different he would be snatching her away right now. Maybe he would even be tempted to relive with her his former days of procuring and having a slave. Gods only knew that he hadn't done that for centuries. And now a perfect candidate was standing right in front of him. He could only imagine everything he could do to her._

_Her firm body was wrapped inside a tight cheerleading uniform and he almost growled with lust._

_He kept looking at her intently and soon enough he saw her blushing. He was certain that she couldn't figure out why he was watching her like that but he could also tell that she could feel danger. He could hear her heartbeat speeding up._

" _It is okay sweetheart," he said and felt bad for now knowing her name._

_She hesitantly nodded confused and tried to move passed him but he blocked her way. She looked at him surprised and he was about to take a step forward._

_He knew that his priority was the doppelganger but maybe he could have a taste from this beauty. Just a small taste. He couldn't leave any traces behind him and he didn't want to raise any suspicions or alert anyone. Especially not now that he was so close at getting what he wanted._

_Besides he didn't want to cause her any major damage or kill her even. It would be a pity to kill someone as beautiful as her. Beauty was meant to be cherished, worshipped even. Taking away such blooming grace from the world would be a crime even he could not commit. At least not as long as youth was part of her._

_All he wanted was a taste. Just one small minimal taste of her. The allurement was so intense that he was founding himself unable to resist._

_But he would compel her to forget. He didn't want her to forget him or to part ways so soon but she would forget him when he was done with her._

_He regretted not being in his body though. He wouldn't be having the same fun with this one._

_But as he was about to grab her he heard the voice of his doppelganger coming from just around the corner._

" _Caroline?"_

_Caroline turned her head towards the voice. Elena's voice._

_Caroline?_

_He had read the reports about Elena. She had a friend called Caroline. This girl was Elena's friend?_

_Before Caroline could even turn her head back to him he had disappeared from her presence. He couldn't risk it. She was too close to the doppelganger and it was not time to make stupid mistakes just because a beautiful girl came along his way._

_But her name kept ringing in his ears._

_Caroline? The name definitely suited her._

_._

_._

He smirked at the irony.

He had forgotten about her after sacrificing Elena. There had been some fleeting moments where he had considered paying sweet Caroline a visit, even taking her with him, but after the ritual all he cared about was creating his hybrids.

Caroline soon escaped his mind. And now here he was again.

Soon she would become his. In a few hours she would belong to him completely. Maybe not for the reasons he initially wanted her but that wouldn't stop him from combining his need for revenge with his need for her body. And after seeing her now he could tell that he still wanted her. Even more than before. She had ripened in all the right places.

If only her presence here didn't fill him with such wrath and rage. She would be the first one to pay. Others would soon follow. But she would be the first.

He twirled the polished chess piece between his fingers and looked straight at it in a way that if it was possible it would combust and explode in flames.

.

.

_**June 2011. Chicago.** _

.

.

_The witch had her eyes closed and was whispering in Latin._

_Klaus was impatiently watching her and waiting for her answer._

_Kol on the other hand was sitting on a chair looking bored as usual. He was slowly drinking blood from a glass and even he made sure not to provoke Klaus today. He always loved enraging his brother but the last days he had restrained himself. The last thing he wanted was to find himself with a dagger in his heart like Mikael did._

_The candle flames roared and the witch opened her eyes that now looked all white inside._

" _Now we are talking," Kol said as he sensed the witch's powers all around him as well._

_Klaus put his hands on the table and carefully looked at the witch. Blood was falling from her nose, her eyes had turned to normal but she wasn't speaking._

" _TELL ME!" he roared._

_The witch looked at him silently._

" _Darling now is not the time to play with my brother. Not if you wish to keep your heart in your chest anyway," Kol told her._

" _Elena Gilbert cannot be found," the witch cryptically said._

" _You heard the witch brother. She is dead," Kol told him._

" _She didn't say that," Klaus said as his eyes turned gold and he smashed the table in front of him in a rage. Elena Gilbert had staged her death. He was certain._

_The witch stood still._

" _What is dead cannot be found, right witch?" Kol asked the woman that was standing in front of him._

_Klaus grabbed the witch from her neck._

" _She is alive isn't she?" he shouted at the woman that was still remaining silent._

" _Easy Nik, she won't give you any answers without a head," Kol told him amused._

" _And dead she will be if she doesn't start talking! Is the doppelganger alive?" Klaus inquired as he tightened his fingers around the witch's neck. He knew that in any other case she would be trying to use her powers against him but he had her daughter. And a mother always protected her child._

" _She doesn't belong to the realm of the living anymore," the witch mumbled under his hold but Klaus didn't let her go._

" _See, dead. Can we go now Nik? I am bored," Kol said tiredly._

" _I want a clear answer witch. NOW!" Klaus told the witch while Kol rolled his eyes._

" _We don't have all day darling, answer the damn question," Kol said agitated this time._

" _You promised protection, for my child," the witch implored Klaus._

_Klaus let her go and his whole body language changed. He relaxed and smiled at the witch. Kol smirked at that._

" _Tell me sweetheart," he gently asked her this time._

_The witch sighed._

" _The spirits are on her side. There is silence around her and a spell to hide her," the witch told him._

_Klaus's eyes darkened but then the witch hastily added._

" _I cannot break the spell, the spirits protect her. But she is not dead. She is not alive either, I…I don't know," she told him in fear._

_Klaus smiled reassuringly at her._

" _That is okay sweetheart, I do," he said. Now all he wanted was to get Elena in his hands and make her pay._

_Before the witch could even blink Klaus had shoved his hand in her chest. Her eyes shot open in surprise while Kol laughed._

" _Give my mother a message," Klaus told her as he wrapped his fingers around the woman's heart._

" _For each day she hides Elena from me I will be taking the life of a witch," he said in an eerie tone. He slowly crashed her heart in his hand as her eyes bugged out._

" _Your daughter comes next," he whispered in her ear as he tore her heart of her chest._

_The witch's body fell on the floor and Klaus threw the bleeding crushed heart over it._

_Kol looked at the corpse._

" _Well I have warned her," he said and looked at his brother._

_Klaus's eyes had turned golden and at that moment Kol knew that Klaus would keep his word. If Elena Gilbert was not returned to him dead or alive he would eradicate each and every witch from the face of the earth._

" _Don't start a war with the witches," he told him serious._

" _Go to Mystic Falls and find where the Gilbert boy is!" Klaus ordered his brother._

.

.

This was one of the last times he ever saw Kol. That day he had set in motion something he would forever regret. Something he would make sure that General Forbes would forever regret also.

He crashed the chess piece in his hands. Black dust run through his fingers.

Finally he was going to make his enemies pay. Starting now.  _With her._

* * *

The crude vampire kept dragging and she lost her step more times than she could count. She didn't know where he was taking her and she couldn't see anything since they had blindfolded her again. But she could hear. She could hear people crying and moaning. At some point she even thought she heard the sound of whipping and then more screaming. She wanted to vomit. What was this place? Obviously it must be some sort of prison and there were many like her sharing the same awful fate (or one even worse) she had for all these days. Days? Was it really that much? She couldn't really tell.

At some point the vampire pushed her in front and she could tell that her feet were not touching stone anymore. Wood maybe? She heard some noises and then she felt the floor underneath her feet shake a little. They were in an elevator. It must be going up she thought and realized that they had kept her in a basement all this time. She was indeed buried underneath the earth she thought.

He grabbed her arm again and she struggled.

"Where are you taking me? Let me go!" she shouted at him through the hood on her head as he kept dragging her along.

"Silence or I'll gag you," he told her coolly.

His hold on her arm became tighter and she whimpered she remained silent. It wouldn't do her any good if they gagged her too.

She heard doors opening and then the floor beneath her skin felt really smooth and slippery. And then her toes touched soft carpet.

The man then threw her over his shoulder and she screamed in surprise. She could tell he was climbing up stairs. She tried to move but she felt his slimy palm caressing her thigh and travelling up so she forced herself to stay still. She heard the man laugh again.

Finally he put her down and let her stand on her feet. He held her by the handcuffs on her hands and dragged her behind him. She felt pain as the metals dag in her wrists more.

They were walking and taking turns and walking some more. And then finally they stopped.

"She is here to see Lord Klaus," the man that held her said.

He was obviously talking to someone else.

"Wait here," another male voice said.

After some minutes she heard the familiar sound of …high heels.

"He shall receive her, you can go," the woman said.

The man that held the handcuffs let her go and she heard him leaving.

A gentle hand this time touched her shoulder and she practically jumped. The same hand removed the hood from her head.

"Please come along," a woman said to her and gently moved her by her shoulder.

She didn't have a choice than to follow. She was handcuffed, blindfolded and only in her underwear; She didn't know where she was or how many vampires where in this place. Her logic told her to do as she was told until she found a way to escape. She had to find a way to get out of here one way or another.

But meeting this Lord Klaus was a terrifying prospect. A Lord? Seriously?

He must be the one that had her kidnapped she thought and her insides fell like they were in fire. If she was right then he was the one that put her in that dungeon too! She felt so much rage at that moment.

She followed the woman that kept a gentle hold on her arm and before she knew it she heard the sound of doors opening.

"Step in," the woman told her and gently pushed her forward.

She took some uncertain steps and heard the doors closing behind her.

* * *

As the doors closed behind her complete silence enveloped her. She didn't dear move or speak because no matter the silence she could feel the presence of another person near her. She could feel a pair of eyes inspecting her. She had never felt like that before in her life. It was a dangerous emotion that made her skin crawl. Although in retrospection she had felt the exact same emotion at certain times when she was at the cell. Like someone, a certain someone, was watching her. And she was feeling it right now again.

She didn't know where she was now but this place was really cold. But the shivers she was feeling were not due to the low temperature of the room but at the sense of danger all around her.

She gulped and tried to remain calm.

Her hands were still handcuffed in the front so she cautiously picked them up in an effort to remove the blindfold from her eyes.

But as her fingers touched the scratchy material two hands gently held her hands and lowered them down again.

She instinctively tried to take a step back but those hands held her in place. She trembled with fear even though those unknown hands were not hurting her and yet right now she was feeling more terrified than when she was chained in the dungeon.

She could tell that those hands belonged to a male as he slowly caressed the length of her arms from her bound wrists up to her shoulders. He followed the line of the straps of her bra with his fingers and she froze completely.

"Don't," she whispered and for the first time true weakness showed in her tone.

Those hands didn't stop. The man moved them upwards and she felt his fingers caress the skin of her neck. They lingered there and his thumb pressed at her pulse point. She stopped breathing completely as his long fingers wrapped around his neck circling her throat completely. He applied pressure there and for a moment she felt fear. She was certain that this man was a vampire. He could crash her throat or break her neck in an instant.

Her heart rate picked up and then he let her neck go and she felt his face settling at the crook of her neck. He fisted her still wet hair and she heard him breathing deeply. She stayed immovable as a statue.

As he expelled his breath he gently untied the blindfold and removed the cloth from her eyes in a slow motion.

She blinked but only for a moment before her gaze was locked with a cold blue one.

In front of her was standing a man. Dressed in black. He was tall with short dirty blond hair. Broad shoulders and deep blue penetrating eyes. He had a stubble and all his lips had a deep inviting color.

He was standing in front of her. Inches away and she couldn't look away from his oceanic colored gaze.

She was terrified of what he might do and she felt trapped and helpless. He was standing so close that she could swear she could feel heat emanating from his muscular body and seeping into her ice cold flesh.

She felt the world spinning around them. She felt faint and she almost lost her balance but his hands held her by the shoulders and steadied her.

"Who are you?" she whispered with fear as she kept watching him almost mesmerized.

He smirked and his penetrating gaze traveled slowly over her half naked body taking in every detail.

She blushed and his smirk got wider. He let her go and took a step back as he continued to watch her appreciatively.

She didn't have anywhere to hide and she knew it was pointless so she tried to stand motionless.

He smiled and then looked at her eyes.

"Let me introduce myself," he said "I am Niklaus Mikaelson and it is a pleasure meeting you," he said with grace.

She gritted her teeth.  _Pleasure?_  Sure for such a sadistic monster like him this would be quite the pleasure.

There was no nobility in him. No man with an ounce of kindness would kidnap her, lock her in a dungeon and treat her they way she was treated the last days.

No man with a sense of honor would have her bound and would inspect her like she was a prostitute or something.

But he wasn't a man she though. He was a monster. A vampire. And she was helpless against him.

"Why am I here?" she said as she stared up at him.

He looked intently at her but she didn't avert her eyes.

"All in good time Caroline," he said and she felt like she was going to scream. Her name didn't belong to his lips and she didn't belong here either!

"Seriously? You have kidnapped me! You have been treating me horribly for God knows how long and you won't tell me what it is that you want from me? Who the hell do you think you are!" she yelled at him and she felt rage blinding her as she saw his mocking gaze.

"I am the person who decides your fate now sweet Caroline," he said nonchalantly "so I would suggest to lower your tone and to try to contain yourself," he ordered her.

"You have NO RIGHT to tell me what to do! LET ME GO!" she yelled at him, this time even louder, as her eyes filled with unshed tears.

A slow humorless smile curved on his seemingly angelic face.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him desperately when she realized that he wasn't going to give her any answers and he certainly wasn't planning to let her go.

He ignored her and turned his back on her. She saw him going to a wooden installed bar and pouring himself a drink. He took his time and through her teary eyes she finally noticed that she was in a very big room. An office.

The lights were dim and there were heavy wooden furniture all around. Elegance and darkness. Dark colors, floors made of wood and marble columns decorated the massive space. Paintings hung on the walls along with heavy bookcases.

Black and gold were the prominent colors and heavy curtains were covering all the windows. She couldn't tell what time it was. Day or night. No natural light was entering this place. She noticed that the only exits were the doors behind her and probably the windows that where hidden behind the heavy curtains. She wouldn't make it. Not with the guards outside the doors and with him in here.

She was also really cold. The room was freezing cold and she was still somewhat wet from the "bath" they gave her with the hosepipe at the dungeon.

She stood still when she noticed that next to a leather black sofa with big pillows there was a small table with candles, champagne, strawberries, chocolate and roses.

She felt nauseous as she could only hope that those things were not meant for her. God she really had to get out of this place!

At the same moment even if she didn't want to the sight of food made her stomach growl from hunger and thirst.

When she averted her eyes from that table she saw that his eyes were once again inspecting her, like she was a bug under the microscope, while he was slowly sipping his drink.

"I understand you are upset and I feel the need to apologize Ms Forbes. I have to admit that the conditions that led to our meeting were indeed not that civil" he said with false politeness.

She gazed upon his beautiful features with fury.

"Why am I here, what do you want from me?" she asked again with impatience.

He drank his scotch slowly.

"For starters I would like you to answer some questions," he told her.

"And if I don't?" she challenged him.

"No reason to be difficult love, not to mention it is quite pointless," he said with ease.

She remained silent.

"Do you know who I am sweetheart?" he asked.

"You said that you are Niklaus Mikaelson," she said with irony, but she kept watching him with caution.

Her heart rate picked up as she noticed that his gaze momentarily glinted with anger.

"No, I don't know who you are or what it is that you want. Isn't this obvious?" she quickly replied with impatience.

"Do you know  _what I am_  then?" he asked as his dark gaze roamed all over her body causing her to feel extremely uncomfortable.

"A vampire," she spat.

"Half way there sweetheart," he said amused and she looked at him surprised.

"Obviously you know about vampires," he said as he finished his drink.

"But I am a different kind of monster," he told her with delight and she swallowed hard.

"I've got some vampire. Some wolf, a hybrid," he said proudly.

She looked at him confused. She had never heard about something like that before.

"What does this have to do with me?" she asked with fear.

"You and I are going to spend a lot of time together. I believe it is only fair for you to know who and  _what_  your _host_  is," he playfully said to her as he took some steps towards her. At the same moment she took some steps back and she saw him smirking.

She knew that she didn't stand a chance against him and yet she couldn't help herself from acting like this. She had to find a way to get out of this place. Away from him!

"A –lo-t of …tim-e?" she stuttered terrified.

His smile grew and his eyes turned darker.

"Yes love, you and I are going to spend some quality time together," he said and she could see that he was feeding on her fear.

"Why?" she asked yet again with a trembling voice that made her fear apparent.

_"I have chosen you,"_  he simply said.

 


	3. Chapter 2 | Part two: Miles to go before we sleep : Frigidarium of the soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This story contains mature adult descriptions. Strictly M rated. It is going to be a very dark story with violence, gore, abuse, rape, slave/master and non consensual themes.
> 
> This chapter includes: Violence, abuse, nudity, mild profanity, slavery, dehumanization and degradation acts, non-consensual sexual content.
> 
> ***If anyone is offended by such themes and cannot cope with reading such stories I would highly advise against reading this story.
> 
> You have been warned.
> 
> x
> 
> x
> 
> x
> 
>  
> 
> Story facts:
> 
> \- In this story the world is divided between humans and vampires. War has begun between the species.
> 
> \- Monarchy is bestowed upon the vampire world. The Originals and the councils are the highest order. Their laws are unbreakable and undisputed. Any disobedience is punishable by death.
> 
> \- Humans are treated by the vampires as slaves and as concubines. Vampires are extremely sadistic individuals.
> 
> \- In this story the Originals are a lot older than 1000 years. The Originals never specifically reveal their age but it is well known to the vampire community that they have been present -at least- ever since the Roman era.
> 
> \- The doppelgänger story is also different and is going to be adjusted with the timeline of this story. The first doppelgänger was not Tatia in this story but Iona. The story of Katherine and Elena is also different.
> 
> x
> 
> x
> 
> x
> 
> No Beta.

.

.

 

" _I have chosen you," he simply said._

* * *

_._

_._

She didn't know what he meant but she didn't like the sound of it.

"Choose another," she whispered frightened. He went closer to her but she kept retreating.

"Why would I do that when I have _you_  love?" he asked her enjoying the way her body shivered.

"Please let me go," she pleaded with him yet again. She hated her weakness but she was all out of options.

He went closer to her but she didn't move back this time. She was just looking at him from where she stood with her most pleading gaze.

He went near her and cupped her cheek as a tear fell from her eye. His thumb wiped the salty cold essence.

"As I have said I have some vampire in me sweetheart and as you know my kind is not fond of vervain," he casually said to her as he let her go. He ignored her pleading completely.

"I am sorry for what you had to endure the last days. I know the accommodations were not the best but it is a common practice for those of your kind that use vervain. Consider it an unfortunate quick detox program," he said calmly like he was talking about the weather.

Her pain and her degradation meant nothing to him she realized. He didn't care. She could be dying in front of him and he wouldn't care at all. Instead she was sure that he would be enjoying the sight of her humiliation and suffering.

She moved her head from one side to the other in despair. She tried to push her terror away but it was of no use.

He had chosen her he had said.  _For what exactly?_ What did he want from her? She could think of nothing good. If anything the only images that were created in her mind were horrifying.

And then she looked at him again as she realized something.

"Days?" she asked him in pain.

"Yes indeed. You have been with us for the last 4 days," he informed her.

More tears filled her eyes and he couldn't stop looking at her.

She was beautiful, enchanting even.

Having her so close to him was a gift he wasn't expecting. He kept looking at her body. At the sculpted curves, at the roundness of her breasts under her bra. Her underwear was not covering much and he was always a man to appreciate beauty.

And now beauty was standing in front of him. With pale alabaster skin and green eyes that shone like emeralds. Her blond damp hair seemed like heavy silken curtains around her beautiful face. Even in her breakdown she was indeed a beauty.

A beauty in despair. And he knew better than anyone that pain always created a certain beauty in the world. The tears that shined on her cheeks were making her even more alluring in his eyes and he was positive now that he would do everything he could so those tears would never dry on her face.

He was half honest with her. Indeed it was common practice to lock the humans in the dungeons the first days. That way their spirit would break and the concentration of the vervain in their blood –if any– would be eliminated.

His men had informed him that when they took her she was wearing many jewelry filled with vervain. Her clothes had that offensive substance on them and even her skin had vervain on it and she certainly must have also drunk it.

Obviously the General made sure his baby girl would always be ensured against vampires. Too bad he couldn't make sure to protect her better.

And that was the other reason why he had locked her in that cell. He wanted to make sure she would suffer. This is why he left her there for an extra day. He relished on her pain and suffering. On the way she abandoned hope.

And yet here she was standing. She was afraid and desperate but he could tell that she wasn't broken. He had managed to bend her will a little bit but sweet Caroline had a lot more to give to him. A lot of pain and so many more tears were yet to come.

He couldn't smell any vervain on her anymore. He could simple bite her and be certain but he had a much more amusing way to make sure she was vervain free.

He went in front of her again before she could react. And with a simple flick of his hands he broke the handcuffs setting her hands free.

She looked at him with surprise and he gently took her hands into his. She tried to push her hands out of his grip but he wasn't going to allow her that.

He started gently rubbing her raw and red wrists and he saw her flinching in pain. She wasn't understanding it but the way he was rubbing her skin was restoring her blood circulation and that way he could feel her blood flowing underneath his fingers. Wild and untamed. Ready to fill his mouth and feed his need for her.

The bruises were faint and there were no cuts. She didn't know it but in the water that was given to her in the cell there were always some drops of vampire blood. Not too much so she could taste it in the water or enough to heal her completely and make her feel good. But it was enough to make sure she would be able to endure the cold and to sustain her body when she wasn't given much water or food.

And now he was caressing those delicate hands that where treated so roughly.

" _Caroline_ ," he whispered and she looked at him.

Before she could avert her eyes his compulsion began and she stood motionless looking at him in a daze.

"Now let us see if the vervain has left your system, shall we sweetheart?" he smirked as he could already tell that her mind had completely surrendered to his compulsion.

"For as long we are alone in this room you will immediately obey my every command," he hypnotized her.

"Obey your every command," she repeated mechanically and he let her go. She blinked horrified.

He could tell that she was starting to panic as her heart started beating wildly under her ribcage.

She looked at him dreadfully and took a step back but he just smirked and enjoyed her reactions.

"Stay where you are love," he simply said and she stopped exactly where she was.

He could tell that she was trying to move but it was of no use.

He walked over to his desk and leaned to the surface. His hands crossed over his chest; his eyes intently fixed on her form.

"Please don't-" she started saying but he interrupted her.

"Don't speak sweetheart," he said and she opened her mouth to object but no sound came out of. She let out a frustrated noise but she couldn't speak.

He took his time watching her. She was trying to fight the power of his compulsion but it was a lost cause. Eventually she surrendered. She stood there looking defeated and scared. Sweat had covered her forehead and she looked even paler than before.

His eyes traveled all over her sensual body. He could tell that she was cold. Her nipples had hardened and he could see their rough shape underneath the lace of her bra.

He smirked at that. No need to keep barriers between his sight and her body.

"Take of your clothes. Eyes on me," he ordered her.

Her whole body tensed and a flash of pure terror passed her eyes but her hands immediately moved.

"Slowly love," he added and leaned back to make himself more comfortable while enjoying the show.

She kept her gaze locked with his as her trembling hands started moving with a will of their own. His vile arrogance was making her ill.

She unclasped her bra and then she held it in front of her chest as she slowly took her one hand out of the strap. She then dragged the bra slowly out of her other hand and let it fall on the floor next to her feet. Tears kept falling from her eyes as her breasts were now completely exposed to his gaze.

She couldn't avert her eyes from him and she saw how his dark gaze was now caressing her bare chest with crude intensity.

She bent over and she pushed the waistband of her panties down. She dragged the material excruciatingly slowly down her legs and then even more slowly she stepped out of it and let it fall next to her bra.

The chill in the room and her shame were making her body tremble with goosebumps.

She was now completely bare and vulnerable under his scrutiny.

Her eyes were constantly on him as his gaze kept following her movements like a hawk. She straightened her back and looked at him with disgust. She couldn't move from her spot but in a last effort to save some of her dignity she tried to cover her breasts with her one hand and her private parts with the other.

"Don't cover yourself," he said as he kept checking her out clearly appreciating the sight her naked form was offering to him.

Her hands fell on her sides as more tears fell on her cheeks and breasts. She couldn't even close her eyes as he had compelled her to keep her eyes on him. She clenched her hands into fists in despair.

She let out a frustrated sob but remained silent as he had compelled her. She was completely helpless and exposed.

Brutal possessiveness marked his gaze as his eyes kept taking in every detail of her exposed skin. She saw his gaze stopping at her breasts and then travelling south and stopping at the space between her thighs.

He licked his lips and looked at her eyes again.

"Turn around and stand still," he said and he made a twirling motion in the air with his hand.

She didn't have any choice and she turned around and stood still. She could feel his eyes burning her as he was watching her body from behind. She was feeling cheap and dirty. Like she was a whore posing for a potential client.

Eventually he told her to turn around again so she did.

It was like she was a puppet and he was pulling her strings. Her body was obedient and was following his each and every command. Dread covered her whole as she could only imagine what he was going to make her do.

She wanted to die. She wanted for this nightmare to end. It was like she was a piece of meat and he was marking his territory. Showing to her how helpless she was against him and how he could do anything he wanted with her. And he really could she realized with terror.

He pushed himself off the table and walked until he was standing yet again in front of her. She resigned to her fate. There was nothing she could do. She wanted to fight but she didn't have any more fight inside her. She was just an empty body. A shell of a person for him to use.

His fingertips started drawing patterns at her collarbones as her chest was rising and falling with every breath she was taking. He caressed her skin until he cupped her breasts with his warm fingers and gently squeezed them. The weight of her breasts now lay completely in his long wide palms.

He let go of her chest and then started thumbing her nipples. His eyes were locked on that part of her body memorizing every centimeter and her eyes were locked on him. She felt sick. His eyes were full with appreciation and fluttery for what he had discovered on her body and yet all she could feel was disgust. She never believed nor for a moment before that she could ever hate her body parts like she did right now. But she did.

She did hate her body because it was powerless. She did hate it right now more than ever because it had drawn his attention and his hunger. She did hate herself even more because her body was a part of her.

He dragged the nail of his index finger over her breast and around her tight nipple. The room was so cold that had caused her nipples to elongate to the point of physical pain and had turned them extremely hard.

He pinched her nipple hard and all she could do was moan in pain as he had compelled her to remain silent.

Then he started playing with the small bud, rubbing it, twisting it, pulling it. Eventually he gave the same attention to her other breast too. He then did the same to both nipples at once. The more he cruelly played with them the more he was hurting her. It was like they were made out of fire. And the more he played with them the more her shame grew.

"Exquisite," he said in a low voice laced with appreciation.

His hand travelled south and his index finger started caressing the tight area around her bellybutton.

Her heart started beating faster as she knew were his fingers would go next. There was nothing sensual in those moments. Her fear had her paralyzed. All she wanted was to scream! To cover herself. To do something, anything! Anything to protect herself from this abuse. And she could do nothing. She was just standing there like an instrument while the musician was playing an awful tragic tone with it.

He then bent his head until his lips touched her ear and he gently bit her earlobe with his blunt teeth.

"Kiss me…and don't hold back," he drawled.

She tried to resist but she couldn't. She leaned forward and crushed her mouth onto his. She kissed him will all her passion and her lips parted in order to invite his velvet tongue into the heat of her mouth.

Tears fell from her eyes as she kissed him but she couldn't stop kissing him or stop crying. She didn't have a will anymore. They had told her what compulsion did to a person but she could have never imagined that it would be like this. She couldn't act or react on her own accord. She couldn't stop her mind screaming at her for what she was doing and yet all she could do was obey his command.

His tongue swirled in her mouth driving her crazy. He knew what he was doing he could give him that. She had never been kissed like that ever before. But while her body was turning hot and needy, while her nipples hardened even more and her core became wet all she could feel was disgust. It was like she was back in the dungeon. She was helpless yet again. She couldn't move or escape from this. She wasn't a person right now. She was just a doll for him to use. Nothing more than a cheap sex toy.

She wanted to rip out his tongue, to bite him, to hurt him. She wanted to stop kissing him and yet all she could do was wrap her hands around him and press her body on to his. Her curves were molding on the shape of his muscular chest. Her breasts were rubbing on the material of his shirt. The bulge on his trousers was pressing her thigh. She was caressing his neck and she was gripping his hair. She didn't, she couldn't, hold back. She moaned in his mouth and his skillful tongue played with hers. The more she was kissing him and more she wanted to kiss him… more.

His hands wrapped around her waist possessively. He pressed her body even more to him. He could tell that she could barely breathe now. He was holding her too tight and he was ravishing her mouth leaving no room for air. Yes she was made for this he thought as he savagely kept kissing her divine mouth. He moaned as he tasted those soft sweet lips that were wet from her tears. He still couldn't believe how beautiful this woman was. He had admired the female body ever since he grew to be a man and he had seen and touched countless women in his time but she was extraordinary. She had definitely grown since the last time he had seen her.

Now she was a sight that he would never forget. The smoothness of her skin. The roundness of her perfect breasts. It was like they were made to fit into his hands. The tempting lines and the way they were curved upwards in the most pleasing manner. Not only to the sight but also to the touch. Her hard nipples and the way they stood erected begging him to play with them. He could feel them on his chest right now as he was kissing her breathless and they were making him lust for her even more.

Her toned stomach and the womanly shape of her thighs. And that perfect shaped ass and those sexy calves!

Her whole body was a vision.

She was thin but she was not too thin. He hated that when it came to women nowadays. How they starved themselves only in order to turn their bodies into moving skeletons and thinking that this was an attractive sight. No, Caroline was perfect. She had a taut tight body. And those soft alluring curls that were formed at the place between her thighs. It was like a present wrapped in the most sensual package. He couldn't wait to unpack his little gift and to have her open herself like a book to him. And he would make sure to explore every page of that book.

The urge to claim her was making him insane. He wanted to dominate her completely.

She was indeed perfect. She would become the perfect slave for him.

All the things he could do to her. In all the ways he could take her. And yet he didn't have so much time. At least for now.

He swirled his tongue into her mouth harder and then even harder.

His hands dropped lower. He enjoyed the feeling of her naked skin. His palms caressed her rear and she moaned louder. He could smell her arousal. He had ordered her not to hold back and now she wasn't. At least her body wasn't because he could feel the tears trailing down her cheeks and he could tell that her mind was hopelessly screaming at her. But she couldn't hold her compelled body's reactions back. Her juices were flowing. He grabbed her ass tighter hoisting her up higher so they could deepen the kiss from a new angle and his fingers dug in the plump flesh of her round twin flesh. He heard her whimper in pain and pleasure and he held her even tighter. His cock twitched with excitement. He was certain that the shape of his fingers would be imprinted on her ass and that made him crazy with need. He would soon mark her in so many ways.

He was surprised at the magnitude of his lust for her. He was about to give in, bend her on the table and take her right now. Preferably from her ass as he would be able to look upon and admire her bruised by his fingers skin.

But alas this was not the right time.

He reluctantly lowered her to the ground and broke away from the kiss and saw her swollen lips and red teary eyes.

He tenderly swept away her tears with his thumbs.

"Stop crying and  _relax_  sweetheart," he ordered her with a soft tone.

She sniffed and instantly stopped crying as the power of his compulsion was making her relax.

" _Relax_ ," he told her again and she closed her eyes breathing deeply.

He gently turned her around; he held her from her hips, took a step back and inspected her bruised bottom. The purplish color that was starting to form there was inviting and his palms covered it. He squeezed her cheeks enjoying the way they felt in his hands. She was completely relaxed now and she couldn't suppress her moan as she leaned back on his chest. He knew that a mixture of pain and desire could drive a woman mad and he planned to keep doing that with this sweet girl. She was an instrument of revenge but luckily for him she was also a woman he wanted to have. And have her he would.

His eyes changed and his fangs extended and grazed the curve of her neck. Her eyes were closed. He was tempted. He could have a taste and yet he restrained himself. He would wait. He wanted to do the whole ritual right. It was important for his plans to do so.

He let go of her and she drowsily tried to keep her eyes open. Relaxation was taking over.

His eyes turned to normal.

He took her by her hand and led her to the sofa. He made her sit there and enjoyed the way she flinched as her raw ass touched the leather surface and then he sat next to her. He couldn't take his eyes from her naked form. Next to the sofa from his side was a table with candles, fruits, chocolate, champagne and a rose.

He took the rose and gently dragged the flower on her neck and then slowly on her breast. He caressed her with the rose petals for some moments making sure that she enjoyed the sensation. He moved the flower over her belly and then on her right leg. The scent of the rose aromatizing her skin. He repeated the same destination at her left side too.

"You will answer my questions truthfully and with no hesitation," he ordered her as he placed the rose back to the table.

She nodded since she was so relaxed and he smiled. Compulsion was such a great gift. He decided to take full advantage of it right now because in the future he would refrain from compelling her. He wanted her alert and to obey him on her own. He couldn't wait to train her to do so. He took the glass of champagne and gave it to her.

"Drink it sweetheart slowly" he ordered her and so she did while his hand slowly caressed her thigh.

When she was done he filled her glass again.

"This one in one go love," he ordered her and she obeyed.

He filled her glass two more times and made her drink it the same way she did with her second glass. When she was done her eyes shone and he could tell that she felt dizzy and along with his compulsion completely relaxed.

"Tell me love what do you know about the weaknesses my kind has?" he conversationally asked her.

"I don't know anything about hybrids," she instantly replied with a soft voice.

He smirked and his hand slid higher on the smooth skin of her perfect thigh.

"What about vampires sweetheart?"

"Vervain is their weakness, it prevents their compulsion and it is a poison to them," she replied. No hesitation in her voice.

"What else?" he asked as he spread his palms over her firm thighs and slid them over the toned muscles causing heat to erupt.

She heavily moaned feeling relaxed and she looked at him with hooded eyes.

"Wood and sun," she whispered intoxicated.

"And?" he pressed more as he inhaled the scent of her lingering arousal.

"A stake through the heart or decapitation," she breathed.

"Would you ever take someone's head love?" he asked as his fingers grazed her upper thighs.

"If I had to protect myself," she confessed with labored breath.

He smirked evilly as he cocked his eyebrow up. She was magnificent indeed.

"What else?" he asked her as his hands slipped in the inner side of her thighs.

"I don't know anything else," she admitted feeling more and more relaxed by the minute. A voice in her mind kept telling her that this was wrong but at this point she was feeling so relaxed that she couldn't even think straight. There was a part of her that was still disgusted but she was feeling so numb.

And his touch was adding to her relaxation. All she wanted was to give in. To rest. To feel her body relax to the point of oblivion.

"Your father is General Forbes correct?" she heard him ask and she felt him grip her thighs cruelly but she couldn't even flinch at this point.

"Yes," she barely managed to say.

"And he knew about vampires before the revelation?" he heard him asking with a cold voice that deep down reminded her her fear of him.

"Yes" she said.

"He is in charge of manufacturing massive amount of special weaponry against vampires is he not?" he asked and she could barely detect the quiet menace that laced his voice.

"I don't know," she moaned in pain as his fingers dug painfully in her sensitive skin.

Klaus watched the girl intently and his fingers relaxed. Obviously the General kept his daughter away from his business. It made no difference. Caroline was to serve another purpose. He could get his information from another place.

He saw her head falling on her side like she was in trance. If he was not to remove his compulsion soon she would turn into a mass of relaxation. More or less she would be in a transient state. Ready to do anything he would ask her to do.

He smirked.

"Are you hungry love?" he asked her kindly as his fingers started gently caressing her legs again.

"I am starving," she said willingly.

He cupped her cheek and she closed her eyes and leaned her face in to his hand.

"We can't have that," he said as his thumb caressed her bottom lip.

He let go of her and she moaned at the loss of his comforting touch. He took a strawberry from the table next to them.

"Eat darling, but only by my hand," he said and offered her the fruit.

He saw her lips part and she gently bit the red fruit and started chewing it. She gulped it down and he kept watching her movements almost mesmerized.

He saw her licking her lips and he offered her one more strawberry and enjoyed seeing her blush. She was eating the forbidden fruit out of his hand.

Some juice escaped her mouth and dropped on her chin and then fell on her breast. He saw the tempting little droplet falling over the curve of her breast and standing temptingly on her hard nipple.

Before he could control himself he leaned down and took her nipple in to his mouth sucking it gently. He heard her gasp and he remembered with fondness his days in ancient Rome. Back then things were so much simpler than today. Of course this was his domain and he could still recreate those days using Caroline this time as his muse at the center of the orgies he was planning to force her into participating.

He bit her nipple and tugged it with his blunt teeth and heard her moaning. He opened his eyes and saw that her head had fallen backwards and she was panting. She was so relaxed now that his ministrations were more than welcome. She had parted her legs and her juices were flowing on the leather of the couch. He could take her right now if he so wished.

His hand found the small of her back and he pressed her to him as he languidly swirled his tongue around her sensitive nipple. He rubbed her other nipple with his thumb and middle finger but this time he was careful not to hurt her. He didn't want to interrupt her… _relaxation_.

He let go of the little bud that was now craving his mouth and his attention went at the face of the beautiful Goddess that was now sprawled on the sofa underneath him.

" _Caroline_ ," he whispered and he saw her blushing, "open your eyes love," he told her and so she obeyed.

He took a piece of chocolate in his hands from the table next to them and started rubbing it into his thumb and index finger until he felt it melting.

"Tell me Caroline are you afraid?" he inquired and he saw her looking at him with her big green eyes.

"Yes," she said and moaned as he slowly pushed his index finger into her mouth. He felt his body react violently as she sucked the chocolate from his finger and as her warm tongue swirled around his skin taking in all the sweetness.

"You are indeed perfect sweetheart. I have great plans for you" he said as his penetrating gaze locked with her face.

She kept sucking his finger until he pulled it out and then she licked her lips as he caressed her nipple with his now wet from her mouth fingers.

"What plans?" she asked timidly and with no breath.

"All in good time" he told her with a cunning smile as he gave her another strawberry to bite.

Juice from the fruit dropped down on her chin again and he titled her head up with his fingers; his tongue found its way to her jaw as he slowly licked the falling liquid. She breathed heavily as her eyes closed. Her body felt like a weightless mass at this point.

He held her softly by her chin and brought her face closer to his. His gaze locked on hers.

"Give me one more kiss darling… _let go_ ," he commanded her with a barely audible voice.

He threaded his fingers into her hair as her lips found his. He felt her hands resting on his chest. Her little hot mouth got lost under his as he settled himself between her open thighs. This time their kiss was slow and sensual. Her legs slid onto his own slowly. Her arms eventually wrapped around his torso bringing him closer. Her bare breasts crushed on to his shirt. He could tell that she was relaxing into their kiss and his tongue slowly caressed hers. It was a gentle motion that made her moan into his mouth.

She tasted like strawberries, champagne and chocolate. Their lips and tongues were completely in sync and they moved perfectly against each other. His hand slowly trailed the inside of her now wet thigh and was travelling north when someone knocked on the door.

Klaus sighed on her mouth with disappointment but backed away and smiled as he heard the sound of protest that escaped Caroline's mouth.

He got up and looked at the door irritated. He then looked at her as she was laid on the sofa, shamelessly sprawled, flushed and completely relaxed. He smelled the scent on his finger from her thigh and sighed deeply. Soon he promised himself.

"Enter," he said.

.

A guard opened the door and two women got in the room.

Caroline blinked and then her eyes opened widely in horror.

He had compelled her to obey him for as long as they were alone in this room and now his compulsion broke. As she rapidly realized what has happened and how she has been responding to him under the veil of his compulsion she went into a new mental shock that also caused her to sober up immediately.

He watched her in amusement as a sound of pure terror escaped her throat. She immediately took the pillow that was resting behind her and covered herself with it. She moved at the end of the sofa with her knees under her chin while she tightly hugged the pillow like it could shield her from him.

Klaus looked at her amused as more tears sprang from her eyes.

"You may put your clothes back on love," he chuckled and saw her looking at him with undiluted hatred.

She didn't move though. She didn't want to be seen naked again.

One of the women that had entered his office was about to bend and take her underwear from the floor but Klaus motioned her to stop and looked at Caroline strictly.

"You can either get up and dress yourself or I can make sure you will walk around naked from now on," he harshly told her.

Caroline could tell that he meant it so she swallowed her pride and moved her legs from the couch and held on the pillow tighter. She wanted to hurt him. To hurt him really bad. He was a monster.

"The pillow remains on the couch love," he said to her and she could hear the laughter in his voice.

She didn't dare look at him though. She would die if she had to look at his mocking gaze one more time.

She took a deep breath and let the pillow go. He had already seen her naked anyway. It was not like he had left her any dignity.

She walked at the center of the room and tried to ignore the people that were there even though she knew that Klaus's eyes kept following her every move; she bent down, got her underwear and quickly wore them. It wasn't much but it was something. He had already seen her exposed and touched her but she didn't want to walk around him naked. She didn't want for him to watch her or touch her ever again. And yet something told her that it was unavoidable. And that made her physically ill.

"See that wasn't so hard was it?" he mocked her.

Logic told her to keep her mouth shut but before she could stop herself she looked at him with all her hate.

"Go to hell!" she screamed at him.

The two women gasped and looked at her horrified but Klaus just laughed.

"Only if you come to keep me company," he seductively told her and then his eyes shone with mischief, "Which reminds me. Rose take Caroline to her new establishments and make sure she will be presentable for the hearing tonight," he said to the taller of the two women.

"What hearing?" Caroline asked with fear.

Klaus smirked at her and then went in front of her. She tried to take a step back but Klaus roughly held her from her upper arm.

"Rose and Anna here are vampires sweetheart. You will follow their instructions and you  **will**  behave or else they will have to force you into submission. In such case the guards have orders to assist them." He told her apathetically and she shivered with fear.

He leaned his head closer to her and she turned her head to the other side. She really despised him. His nose caressed the column of her neck.

"For your own good I highly advise you to make sure that such extreme measures won't be necessary." It was a clear thread delivered in a seemingly polite tone.

"Make sure she also eats and  _sleeps_ ," he said to Rose and handed Caroline over to her. Rose nodded.

"Please Caroline follow us," the woman Klaus referred to as Rose told her.

.

.

She reluctantly did. She didn't want to stay anywhere near Klaus anymore. Anything would be better. Even the cell they kept her in the last days would be better. Her heart broke as she remembered Klaus telling her that she was in this place for the last four days.

She had been abused and humiliated with more ways she could count for so many hours. Her parents would worry for her so much by now. They would know that she was missing and they would have probably guessed that she was at the hands of vampires. For the first time in her life she missed them dearly. She would give anything in order to be able to see them again and to return to her dysfunctional family. They were not perfect but they cared for her. At least with them she was living as human and not as an animal or as a whore.

She followed Rose and Anna followed behind her. Just as they were going to get out of Klaus's office and before she could even blink Anna had blindfolded her yet again. They didn't tie her this time but Rose warned her not to try to take the blindfold from her eyes for her own good.

They held her from her arms and kept dragging her along. At least they were not hurting her.

She didn't know where they were taking her. Her heart was beating with fear. Klaus mentioned new establishments so logically they were not taking her back to the dungeon but that could also mean that they were taking somewhere even worse.

They walked endlessly and she felt herself being picked up again. She assumed they were climbing some stairs. It felt weird that a woman could pick her up so easily but then she remembered that they were vampires and that meant that they were stronger. She wouldn't have a chance if she tried to escape them. They were stronger and faster. And yet somehow she knew that given the chance she would try. No matter what she would try. She wanted to do it right now but she knew that she wouldn't be able to go far and she would hate to get tied up, or even worse to get compelled again. She would have to wait for the opportune moment. Surely one would come. And then she would run and get the hell away from this hellish place. She only prayed for this to happen fast because she didn't know what would Klaus do to her in her time here.

After some minutes they let her stand on her feet again and then she heard doors opening and then closing behind her.

Rose pushed her gently forward and she took some steps and shivered. This place was even colder than Klaus's office. What was it with vampires and cold? She wouldn't be able to survive long in this place if she had nothing to wear. This temperature wasn't one she could bear. Not without clothes.

The women made her walk more but this time she could feel a plush carpet under her feet. Then she heard more doors opening.

Eventually the two women helped her go down some stone stairs. They were quite slippery but one of the girls was holding her tight by the arm and was giving her instructions were to step. After a point she could swear that she was descending a circular stone stairway. She was quite anxious because with every step she thought she was going to fall.

Then she heard another door opening and they got her into a place where the air was crisp and cold. She involuntary shivered as she took a deep breath.

Rose took out the blindfold and she blinked a couple of times in surprise.

What was this place?

Torches were alight everywhere. On the walls and on poles. There were some bronze chalices on marble columns with fire sparkling inside them. Dim and bright lights were casted by the fire illuminating this place with an eerie glow. The room was vast and solely made out of marble and mosaic. Turquoise and black shades everywhere.

But that was not the weird part of it.

In the middle of it there were…baths! This looked like an extravagant bathhouse that didn't belong in this time.

She couldn't even describe what she was seeing as a bath. It was more like embedded marble pools on the ground in different places divided and surrounded by special chambers. Three of them. Extremely large and they seemed deep. At the one of them she could see steaming air coming out from the water and circulating around the chamber that pool was in. The luxury of this place was unimaginable. She never thought she would ever be in a place like this and yet she was. As a prisoner. Or even worse she thought. As Klaus's slave or…whore.

Still though, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was like it was taken out of an epic historical era movie or something.

Grand walls and ceilings. Latin inscriptions everywhere. Marble stairs and benches. Intricate sculpted pillars. Rustic paintings and statuses. Spacious chambers. And the dreamy sight of the pools. Their midst look dark and they reflected the orange light from the fires of the torches all around them.

She was speechless.

"What is this place?" she whispered.

"Welcome to the baths of the estate," Anna told her smiling.

She couldn't speak.

"We need to prepare you," Rose said.

"Prepare me for what?" Caroline asked feeling uneasy.

"Please follow me," Rose told her with a polite tone while completely ignoring her question.

Caroline didn't have a choice since Rose took her from the hand and pulled her forward with her. From her firm grip she could tell that she was quite strong.

She decided to remain passive for the moment. She didn't want to cause to herself any more problems and she still remembered Klaus's threat about his guards coming to force her to obey and she certainly didn't want that. At least Rose and Anna seemed relatively nice so far.

Rose took her to a chamber that had towels and robes. Shelves, hangers and benches.

"This is the apodyterium," Rose told her and Caroline looked at her confused.

"The changing room," the vampire informed her smiling. Then Anna came where they were with a similar gentle smile. She supposed that they were trying to make her feel comfortable but that was impossible.

"Please take of your clothes," Anna asked her.

She started getting afraid and she chewed her lip feeling trapped again.

"No need to worry," Rose said, "We are going to help you take a bath and get cleaned, we won't hurt you."

She swallowed as she felt Anna's hands unclasping her bra. She closed her eyes as they took it away from her. Her panties followed. She wanted to scream. It was like her body was public property. No one was asking her. They just did whatever they wanted with it. Her shame was still there but not as intense as before and that scared her the most. Especially after what had happened with Klaus in his office. Tears burned her eyes but she remained silent.

She had to believe that deep down her pride was intact. She didn't have a say on this. She couldn't even fight not because it would be just a lost cause but because she needed to remain unharmed and strong if she wanted to find a way to escape. She just prayed that something like that was not just a hope. Deep down she was still Caroline. They couldn't take her pride away.

Her eyes widened as she saw Rose and Anna also disrobing. She felt her instincts alarming her but she tried to control her mind's reactions. They said that they were not going to hurt her. She didn't know why but there was something in Rose that made her trust her.

Then Anna took two robes with her, some towels and washcloths and along with Rose they led her back to the baths.

They took her to the first pool. But they didn't tell her to get in. They first got her to sit to a bench and with the use of wet cloths they started rubbing and cleaning her. Rose was standing behind her and Anna had sunk on her knees in front of her. This proximity made her feel bad. She tried to move but Rose held her still and they continued cleaning her. Their movements were precise and a little harsh. Obviously it wasn't the first time they were doing that.

When they were done Rose started rubbing her skin with a dry cloth and she noticed that Anna took a basket from a platter next to them and went to the pool. She then started tossing flower petals inside it. She went to the other chambers and did the same with the other two pools.

Rose took her by the hand and led her to some steps in the first pool. She cautiously stepped inside the clear water and yelped at the sensation. The water was extremely cold.

Rose went in with her but she didn't seem to feel uncomfortable at all. Anna handed her a soap and another washcloth. Rose laved the cloth over her skin.

"This is called the frigidarium," she informed her as she could see that she was trembling from the cold water.

Caroline looked at her with confusion.

"It means cold bath," Rose said.

"Latin?" Caroline asked as Rose kept scrubbing her and as she tried to ignore the feeling of her body being at someone else's control.

"Yes, these baths are identical with those that were used in ancient Rome," Rose told her and Caroline just realized that she was really standing amongst…vampires! They were really old.

Rose laughed.

"I am not that old Caroline," she said with a knowing smile.

Caroline's eyes darkened.

"But he is?" she asked and she couldn't keep the smidge of fear out of her voice.

"Yes," Rose said with no emotion and Caroline's heart sank. She remembered her father telling her that the older a vampire was the stronger he was getting. And obviously Klaus was really old. She really didn't stand a chance against him.

Her teeth chattered and she wanted to get out of this bath but Anna kept splashing her body with cold water from a bowl while Rose was lacing her stomach with the soap. This was definitely different from the bath they gave her with the hosepipe in the cell but it was still cold and degrading.

The washed her hair also. Again she cringed as they used the same scented shampoo. Lavender and lilac.

He must have been watching me for a long time she thought. And if he knew simple details like what kind of a shampoo she was using then he probably knew everything about her.

He must have also known that her father and her mother were fighting against vampires. Maybe this is why he had taken her. She really didn't know what it was worse. For him to keep her here because of her family or because he wanted her personally? In any case the result was remaining the same. She was in his hands.

Rose and Anna kept washing her and all she could feel was cold. She was shaking and she gritted her teeth. She wanted to shove them away and get out of this pool and this place in general. But she was trapped inside this place and she also felt trapped inside her body. She felt her skin turning ice cold. She knew that vampires were having pale skin and cold skin and obviously now they had managed to do the same with her body also. The only problem was that she wasn't a vampire and her human body couldn't bear this.

By the time they took her out of the bath her lips had turned purple.

Rose then took her to the second pool.

"This is the warm bath," she told her "or else Tepidarium."

"You will feel more comfortable in it," Anna promised her.

They took her in it and she sighed with relief. The water was indeed warm. At first she thought that her body would go into shock from the temperature change but the warm water was more than welcome. It was soothing and it was the first sense of warmth she had felt in days.

This time Anna went in with them. They kept washing and decisively scrubbing her body.

At one point she huffed with annoyance and tried to take the cloth from Rose's hands.

"I can bathe myself you know," she said as she tried to resist Rose's care.

"I have my orders Caroline, please stay still" was her answer as she jerked her hands away and kept washing her with ease.

This time they used a creamy body wash on the washcloth instead of soap. Anna was pouring water over her with the bowl while silently humming a melody. The flower petals that were in the water were all around her and were giving to the water and to her body their scent. They were trailing the wash cloth all over her body. At her every inch; which was making her feel extremely uncomfortable. At one point Rose led her deeper in the pool until the water covered her body all the way up her neck. She closed her eyes and tried to relax as a tear fell on her cheek. Anna was massaging her shoulders and Rose her hands. The warm water had managed to make her relax a little bit for the first time. Her sore and tense muscles were welcoming this care even if her mind refused to do so.

She even dived inside the water. Rose didn't allow her to stay long underwater but for a moment she imagined how it would be like if she where to stay there and drown. Anything would be better than having to give in to Klaus and endure whatever he intended to do with her.

Eventually they moved her to the third steaming pool and she couldn't stop herself from trying to get out. The water was blistering hot. It almost felt like it was frying her skin. But Rose held her in there. She said that this was the caldarium which meant a very hot pool. Tears sprang from her eyes and she tried to relax. In the last days she prayed for heat but this felt like it was more than her body could take.

Rose and Anna didn't use washcloths this time. They rubbed some of the shampoo and the body wash on their hands and started massaging her body with it. Her skin was getting really soft and red but they kept scrubbing her body. As the minutes passed by she could swear that instead of her body becoming more accustomed with the hot water she was getting more uncomfortable to the point where even breathing felt painful. Her pores were opening and her skin was in pain.

But the worst moment was when Anna's fingers touched her genitals. She yelped and tried to put some distance between them but Rose forbid it and Anna kept fingering and cleaning her private areas with her hands. Her own choice was to close her eyes and to try taking some mental distance. For a moment she even managed to do that and pretend like she was alone in the world but this moment didn't last long. The more they were treating her body like this the more her soul ached.

Then they used an oil wash and massaged her skin for a long time. Even though she was feeling the heat pouring all over her flesh and burning her, the steams from the bath and the hot water made her feel sleepy.

Eventually her suffering ended and they took her out of the caldarium. Even the floor in that chamber was hot.

Rose brought then small metal curved tools with different shapes and sizes which she used to scrap her body with. Each tool applied to a different body part. It was not painful and from what she had seen it was taking away any remaining excess of oil, water or foam that was left on her body. She didn't know how those things were called nor did she want to learn. All she wanted was for everything to come to an end.

At last they used towels to dry her now sensitive skin and her wet hair; then both of them wore silk robes but they didn't give her one. They left her bare and she tried to keep herself from screaming yet again. Obviously she was a lesser person than them.

.

.

Rose led her to another spacious chamber that looked like a garden. Anna was following right behind. All sense of shame was long gone and she didn't even bother to feel bad for her nudity anymore.

She looked around as she casually walked and she was amazed. So many flowers and colors littered this place. It felt like she was in wild nature's womb. Those gardens, the bath house gardens as Rose called them, were nothing less than majestic. She noticed that the floor was made from mosaic and had beautiful patterns and shapes. All around were lit up torches and their glow illuminated the gardens and made them look like a dreamy scenery. She could feel humidity and coldness all around her and the smell from the plants was heavy. She couldn't understand how all those plants and exotic flowers could survive without day light until she tilted her head up and saw covered window panels. Obviously this place had access to natural light but right now not even a fade ray of light was reaching this cold place. She furrowed her eyebrows then. She just realized that she didn't know if it was day or night. She had lost all concept of time. That was really unsettling and made her feel really confused.

Klaus told her that she was kept in this hell for four days so logically it had to be Sunday but she wasn't sure if Klaus had been even honest with her in the first place. He could be lying about the amount of time and the days she was here. From what she had gathered from the little time she spent with him he was a great manipulator and a sadist. She couldn't and she wouldn't trust anything that would come out of his mouth. He had proven that all he wanted was to play with her mind and…her body.

She shivered as she remembered the deprived way he had treated her in his office and how he had forced her to kiss him and be his sex slave even for a little while and she wrapped her hands around her naked body in a last effort to cover some of her lost dignity and to offer some security to herself even if she already knew that it was a false and a fleeting emotion.

"What time is it?" she suddenly asked Rose but she got no answer. She turned her head in hopes that Anna could answer her but she got no answer from her either. She gritted her teeth in rage.

She tried to contain herself. She had no chance against two vampires right now. She didn't even know how many others were in this place and she was naked and all alone here. She didn't have any vervain or any weapon she could use against them. She would have to wait for the opportune moment. She had to find a way to escape and if she could stake Klaus at the process then even better!

She continued to walk through the gardens and noticed that there were also on-site libraries, lounge chaise chairs, tables with candles and even complexes with exercise areas.

Eventually they reached their destination and Caroline looked at the two vampires in confusion.

In front of her there was a professional massage table. It was made from metal and black soft leather. There were candles and torches around the table in a way that it was clearly illuminated like there was a spot light above it.

Next to the massage table were small tables with all sorts of bottles and sponges on them. She could tell that some of the bottles contained oils and lotions.

Caroline felt uncertain about this but remained still. Anna placed a sheet over the table and nodded to Rose.

Rose gently took her by her arm and led her to the table. For Caroline this looked more like a sacrificial altar than anything else.

"Please lay down Caroline," Rose instructed. She looked at Rose a little bit uncertain but Rose had a reassuring smile on her lips. She sighed because there was nothing reassuring about the situation she was in but she went and sat on the table.

As her bottom touched the soft sheet she flinched in pain. She remembered the way Klaus's hands had marked her ass and she could feel the bruised area complaining. She was in a lot of discomfort especially now that her skin was soft after the baths they gave her. She huffed and then Rose pushed her gently until she was lying on the massage table.

She couldn't help but sigh in relief when her head rested on the soft and comfortable pillow that was on the table. All this time they had kept her in chains and on the dirty hard floor of a dungeon. Being able to lie back on comfortable furniture again was something that almost made her scream in pleasure. And she also realized how many things that she considered granted in all her life were actually comforts and privileges and now they were violently taken away from her.

She had closed her eyes for a moment and she forgot even for a little while that she was all naked in a prison and in the mercy of vampires.

She then suddenly jumped up in fear when she felt two hands massaging her belly. Rose pushed her back again and she slowly did as she watched Rose putting some lotion on her hands. The cream smelled really good and then Rose's hands found her skin again.

"No need to worry Caroline, we are just going to offer you a massage, it is a pleasurable necessity after the bath," Rose gently said as her hands started massaging her sore and tight muscles.

Caroline said nothing and looked at the ceiling. The windows up there were made from vitro glass but above them there was nothing but darkness. Logically she assumed that the metals that were above the glasses could open and the sun would then enter this gloomy place. Because no matter the beauty of this place she couldn't help but feel a certain darkness all around.

"The massage will also help you feel better," Anna said happily.

"Let me go back to my home and I will feel much better!" Caroline snapped at them without sparing them even a glance.

She didn't get any answer but soon enough Anna joined Rose and both of them kept massaging her body. They used essential oils, lotions and perfumes. Ointments and pastes. They massaged her neck, her breasts, her stomach and her legs.

Soon enough she felt her eyes fluttering close and herself drifting away. Next to her the smell from the candles was making her feel weak and her body was finally getting some good attention. The flames from the torches all around and above her were causing heat and were casting a soft glow on her skin that was now shining from the oils Rose and Anna were using.

They definitely knew what they were doing that was for sure because she had never gotten a massage like that before. They knew how and where to apply the right amount of pressure and how to massage her skin and muscles. Sometimes they were using more strength and some other times they were gentle. They were lifting her hands and her legs as they kept rubbing her skin but she wasn't complaining or feeling ashamed. Somehow this didn't feel any bad or degrading. At least for now.

"Anna please order some fruit for Caroline," she heard Rose saying to Anna, "and bring me the wax oh…and get rid of her former clothing."

At that Caroline's eyes shot open and she picked herself up.

"What? No wait! Don't throw them….please," she pleaded with Rose.

That underwear was the only thing she had to wear even if they were not hers. She didn't want to stay naked anymore and at this point she pretty much believed that they would force her to parade in front of everyone in her birthing suit.

"You can't wear them anymore Caroline," Rose said with an even tone, "Lord Klaus will provide your clothing from now and on and he has certain…preferences" Rose said.

Caroline sucked her breath.  _"Certain preferences"?_

"Like hell he will!" she yelled and tried to get up from the table. Her anger had spread in her mind like wildfire and all she wanted was to get out of this place.

Why the hell were they doing this to her?

"Behave Caroline," Rose said strictly as she kept her in place.

Caroline started struggling against the woman's hold with a fury that clouded her judgement. Logically she knew that Rose could hurt her and so could Anna and even worse they could call for more vampire guards like those she had seen in the dungeon. But now she didn't care. All she wanted was to get out.

"No! You can't do this…you don't have the right! Let me go," she screamed desperately.

Rose shook her them and held her still in a way that she couldn't move. She noticed Rose's eyes and she saw nothing there this time.

"Do I have to call the guards?" Rose asked her with a cold voice and shivers run through her body.

She froze and her eyes glowed with tears as fear surged through her mind again. Her maddening anger subsided and she shook her head in submission. Her survival instincts were kicking in. If they had to force her into this it would be much worse and she knew that they would.

Then Anna took her hand.

"Please Caroline. We have certain orders. If we don't follow them we will be punished and so will you. Don't make this anymore difficult that it has to be," she said with a low voice.

"Listen to Anna. There is no way out of this," Rose told her and looked at her with honesty.

The undertone of fear in Rose's voice made her comply. More tears fell from her eyes. She gave up and sat compliantly on the massage table, her head hanging down.

Rose instructed her to lie down and Anna left the room.

Rose began massaging her with lotions again but this time she wasn't enjoying this. All she wanted was for everything to just stop.

"Turn around," Rose instructed her.

Caroline did as she was told. Her will to fight or even protest gone.

Rose started massaging her legs again; her hands, her back and her shoulders but when she touched her sore bottom Caroline moved with pain. The places were Klaus had touched her hurt. She could tell that she was severely bruised. The thought that the shape of his fingers was shaped in the form of bruises on her skin made her want to scream. So she did in frustration and hit her hand on the table in despair. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. She couldn't believe the way he had treated her. Nor could she believe that he had bruised her like this in purpose. He had branded his whore she thought and punched the pillow on the head of the table.

Rose didn't say anything and kept massaging her.

She bent over her and then she whispered on her ear.

"Not all of us consider humans to be lesser beings Caroline," Rose whispered.

Caroline froze and blinked while Rose kept talking.

"But lord Niklaus does. He wants you and after tonight he will have complete ownership over you" Rose warned her.

Caroline slightly turned and looked at the vampire.

"What are you-"

Rose put a finger on her mouth and stopped her from talking.

"Don't provoke him and always do as his says and obey. It is your only way to make your life less miserable," she told her.

Caroline looked at Rose with fear and then fear gave its place to determination.

"If this is the way my life is going to be from now and on then I would rather die," she said with an unyielding emotion. She would be damned if she were to allow herself to live like this. Like some sort of a concubine for an insane vampire. She would wait until she could escape but if there was no way for that then she would rather die. Anything would be better than surrendering her body and her soul to Klaus.

"He won't let you die, not on your terms anyway. Just obey," Rose urged her.

"I will never do that," she defied.

"Then you'll suffer," Rose told her sadly. She was making it clear that this was going to be her fate and there was nothing she could do to make it…to make him stop.

An ominous feeling filled her heart and she clenched her eyes shut. No. Even death was preferable she thought. If things would come to this then this would be her escape.

Caroline laid her head back on the leather and looked in front of her as Rose kept pampering her body this time in silence.

She definitely felt like she was a concubine and they were preparing her to meet her master. She guessed that this was what was actually happening.

Her mind refused to pay attention after that.

Eventually Anna came back. She had brought some boxes and packages with her. She also brought some beverages and fruits but she refused to have any.

Rose told her to lie on her back again. She then used hot wax on her legs and underarms. It was quite painful but she didn't make a sound.

But when she told her to spread her legs Caroline remained motionless.

"You need to be completely waxed," she said and Caroline lost all color from her face. Her heart roared under her rib cage but she stayed still.

Anna held her back from her shoulders and more tears fell once again.

The table was automatic and Rose drew a lever and two stir ups extended from under the recliner. Rose then strapped her legs on the stirrups while Anna kept her firmly in place. She didn't want to do any of this. Her completely exposed body was being subjected to things she didn't condone. Her personhood was not at stake anymore, it was completely gone. She felt like she was a corpse and they were preparing her dead body for her defilement and then her funeral.

When the hot wax covered her most private areas she felt completely degraded. Not even her days in the dungeon made her feel less of a human being than now and that said something considering what had happened to her in that awful place.

She could do this on a spa yes. But this was something different. They were using her body against her will. There were forcing her to follow a ritual that would lead to her rape. They were already raping her.

Some cloth straps were placed upon the waxed areas and when Rose pulled them off she screamed. She screamed with all her strength. She didn't scream just because of the blinding pain. She screamed for everything that happened and kept happening to her. She screamed because she didn't feel like a human anymore. She felt like an empty cell. Like a whore.

She felt like she was slowly dying in the inside. She was being objectified. Turned into a sex toy for someone's pleasure. Someone that wouldn't just take her body but also her personality and her dignity. Klaus already had shown his true colors. His compulsion proved how helpless she was against him. Rose talked about ownership and they were preparing her body in a certain ritual because he ordered it. She was going to being sent to be raped and destroyed.

"Shh it's okay, the worst part is over," Anna said as Rose applied some soothing lotion on the sensitive and now waxed skin and then unstrapped her legs from the stirrups.

No she thought. The worst part was yet to come.

Rose and Anna then laid her on the massaging table again and started rubbing her skin with scented oils. Eventually her skin became extra soft and practically glowed. The scent the oils had left on her body made her physically ill. They were transforming her into the perfect sex toy for Klaus. Just the idea of it was sickening.

They made her sit on a chair after that. She felt like a zombie. She was following commands and doing as she was told.

Anna curled her hair and Rose put makeup on her face.

After what felt like hours they were finally done.

Anna then handed her a simple strapless white dress. She was shocked. It was a decent dress that covered everything. The skirt was falling down her knees and the fabric was simple and smooth. Not to mention that it was warmer than the underwear they had given her before.

When they helped her put the dress on she finally felt a little bit as a person again. They gave her no shoes or underwear but the dress was enough to make her feel human again. But she was certain that this wasn't meant to last for long.

And it wasn't because soon enough the blindfold was back on her eyes.

She walked corridors and climbed stairs. She wore no shoes but her feet were touching carpets and marble and wooden floors. Eventually she had heard doors opening and closing behind her again.

Rose and Anna were with her constantly instructing her and telling her when they were approaching stairs or where to stop. She had heard male voices when they stood still before she heard doors opening. She assumed that those men were guards and she was scared that they were leading her into another cell again but as the doors closed behind her Rose took the blindfold from her eyes and she saw that this time they had led her to a bedroom.

.

.

Rose turned on the lights and Caroline's mouth opened.

The room was enormous and elegant. It was painted with red and cream colors. The ceilings were accented with gold details. On the walls hung magnificent paintings and furniture made out of dark wood and ivory were scattered all around the room. She saw huge mirrors and several low tables. She saw heavy curtains covering what she imagined were glass doors or windows.

There was also a beautiful fireplace on the one side of the room which was a contradiction because the room was really cold.

There was a dresser and also a long wide wooden and glass surface that had bottles of several drinks, crystals and tumblers on it.

There were plush carpets and recliners made from black wood and leather with intricate carvings. Books and candles on tables.

She also saw a small closet that had sculpted shapes on its surface. From what she could gather from the abstract art the shapes were depicting the Garden of Eden, the snake and Eve with an apple. There were also some demons too.

She bit her lip when she saw the prominent piece of furniture in the center of the room. It was a king sized canopy bed made from dark wood.

She had never seen a place like this. It was huge and it looked like it was meant for royalty and then she shuddered. "Lord Klaus" they had said. This had to be his room and somehow this whole room seemed to be in sync with his character or at least what she thought his character was.

Rose and Anna were standing behind her as her eyes scanned the room and she bit her lip harshly. She never thought she would think this but somehow she would have preferred the dungeon than this room. She didn't like being in here and she didn't like what this meant for her.

"This is Klaus' bedroom isn't it?" she asked but she got no answer. Nor did she had to. It was. She knew it was.

She looked at the bed again.

The huge soft bed seemed too inviting and terrifying to her. Even though her body had somewhat relaxed under Rose's and Anna's care -and she desperately tried to delete from her memory how had Klaus had forced her to relax some hours before- her bones still ached and she craved to sleep on a normal bed like a human again but she also was horrified by the idea of been forced to use that bed with Klaus.

But then she noticed that at the wall that was on the opposite of the bed at its left side there was a wooden cot. It was made purely from black polished shiny wood. The surface looked hard and uninviting. Its legs were wedged on the floor so it seemed unmovable. It was really low. Basically in was just centimeters above the floor. It would be like sleeping on the floor actually. She flinched as she realized that this was not meant to be a bed or to provide any comfort; it was just meant to store an object,  _her_.

She saw that the narrow cot was much lower than the bed against it. She realized that it was meant to be that way. The bed was above the cot as the vampire was above the human. Like this the human would always be at the vampire's feet and the vampire would look at the human from above. All was created in a way to emphasize the superiority the vampires supposedly had over humans. They were doing this with every single detail.

Then her heart stopped when she saw that there were four golden shiny sparkling chains with cuffs on them attached to the legs of the cot. She froze. There were also some chains hanging on the wall above the cot. At one chain there was even a golden collar attached! NO! NOT THAT! They were going to chain her again. And this time even worse than before? She wasn't an animal! Why did they have to treat her as such?

Rose gently pushed her towards the cot. Caroline looked pleadingly at her but there was no point.

She gulped and she obediently sat down on the cot; Anna knelt beside her and reached for one of the cuffs. Then he made her lie on the hard narrow bed.

"Please don't," she begged them and she sat up as horrifying memories from the dungeon returned to her mind. She knew she had to fight harder but at this point she was tired and she felt like she had no fight in her anymore. She was emotionally exhausted and she wanted a time out but being tied up was not her idea of a break.

"All unattended humans must always be restrained. It's the law," Rose said as Anna gently took her legs and cuffed them. The cuffs and the chains were really heavy. She could barely lift her legs now. She looked at them and realized that those restrains must be made from real solid gold.

The length of the chains could be adjusted. Anna locked this one in a way that it was really short and restricting. Like this she could sit and lie down on the cot but she couldn't get her legs up.

Rose then put on the floor a tray. There was a sandwich and a glass of milk on it. Her stomach growled at the sight of food. The strawberries and the chocolate Klaus had fed her were not enough to sate her hunger. And it wasn't meant for that anyway. She furiously blushed and tried not to think about that because it made her mouth dry with bile.

Rose and Anna waited until she ate her food and drank the milk.

"Please lay down Caroline," Rose told her.

She was just too tired to object. She did as she was told and then Rose handcuffed her hands. At least this time her hands were cuffed on her front. Rose then attached a chain on her handcuffs but fortunately left a lot of slack in this one. Unfortunately though the weight of those golden cuffs and of the chain were similar to those on her legs so she could barely move her hands anyway.

Caroline sighed but there were no tears left for her to shed.

Rose then brought a syringe from a near table and Caroline's eyes shot open in trepidation.

"What is that?" she practically yelled.

"Just a light sedative to help you sleep," Anna told her soothingly.

"No! NO! Don't you dare! NO!" she yelled at them and started struggling against the chains. This was her limit. She didn't care anymore. She couldn't think logical and force herself to stay calm in order to find a way out eventually. She had to get out now. She couldn't allow to them to treat her like that. She didn't care if they would hurt her or even kill her; she had to stop them. Somehow she had to!

Anna held her down but Caroline kept struggling.

Rose approached her with the syringe.

"Your body has gotten awfully harassed Caroline. You need to get some uninterrupted sleep that will help you truly rest and relax." she said to her.

"Enough with the RELAXING thing! And my body was perfectly fine before you monsters kidnapped me!" she screamed at them and kept fighting against Anna hands even though she knew that this was a fight she couldn't win. The chains rattled and that caused her more despair.

"Maybe we should compel her," Anna suggested to Rose.

"No, Lord Niklaus has forbidden it," Rose said and crouched down in front of the cot and prepared the syringe.

Of course Klaus had forbidden it she thought in a rage as she kept struggling against Anna. He wants to have this pleasure all to himself. The jackass! The sociopath! The sadistic psycho!

She started yelling and cursing at them but mostly at him hoping that somehow he was close enough and he could hear her!

"Hold her down," Rose told Anna and moments later the needle was embedded into her shoulder.

It was useless she thought. She was never going to get out of this.

"Get some sleep Caroline," Rose said as she removed the needle.

"I don't have a choice do I?" she mumbled as the drug was rapidly affecting her.

"No you have not," Rose told her as her eyes closed and she fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Outside the glass windows the moon was rising.

It was almost time. He would have to go the hearing soon he thought with a smile. In a few hours Caroline's fate would be sealed and her life would be handed to him.

Right now he was comfortably sitting at his leather chair behind his office watching at his computer screen. The light from the screen was illuminating his features in the darkness of the room. His eyes fixated on the sleeping form of the blond woman that was chained at the cot in his bedroom. She would spend a lot of time chained there he thought with glee as his finders touched her idol on the screen. He took out the flash drive from the computer and placed it into an envelope. He opened a drawer and put it in along with the other flash drives he had in there. In that drawer he would keep all the documents that concerned sweet Caroline. It would be more or less a diary. Each and every moment she was spending here was recorded and saved into separate usb sticks. He had already recorded her time in the cell and had also printed multiple photos. He would have to print photos from her little time in this office with him. The more the better he though with a smirk.

There were cameras at each and every corner in his mansion. Hidden from plain sight. He had recorded Caroline's moments in his office this morning and now via the live connection he had from the hidden cameras in his room he could see her sleeping.

She didn't know it but she had been sleeping through the whole day. He could tell that she had been disoriented this morning and she couldn't tell what time it was. This is why he had ordered her to be blindfolded and why no natural light was allowed to the rooms she were to spend any time in. This is why he had ordered Rose to get her to the baths in the basement of the mansion and not to his private baths that were connected with his bedroom.

He loved Roman baths and this is why in all his personal estates he had made sure to recreate the actual environment of the baths he had become accustomed with centuries ago. The baths where Caroline was prepared in were an exact replica of the ancient Roman baths he had visited in Pompeii many centuries ago during the Roman Republic. It actually had to be during 86 BC if he was not mistaken.

The baths here in his mansion were created by his own personal drawings and designs that were similar to those Caius Sergius Orata had created for the Roman Republic.

So in his houses all over the world hypocausts were built and Roman baths were recreated. The one Caroline was in had been running with an under floor heating system. Basically an underground furnace that was creating hot air.

That kind of identical structure required a lot of space and this is why he had them built at the basement. In those certain baths there was no natural light coming in. He had made sure to cover the windows a long time ago. Not even electricity was installed there. Only torches lighted the room which in this case proved to be quite useful. Not to mention that the sight of Caroline's body glowing under the lights the flames were casting on her was quite the vision. She looked marvelous as the firelight glittered on her golden hair and soft skin.

He enjoyed seeing Caroline feeling lost. Her defenses were decreased that way. She didn't have any sense of time and in the morning when she was with him she didn't even ask what time it was. He was pleased to see that she didn't get any answer from Rose or Anna when she asked them about the time. He had actually personally instructed the vampires to act like this.

Losing sense of time was quite important for the human slaves. It made them less logical and more obedient. When time is erased from someone's existence then his perspective changes. His sense of what is important changes. And when it came to human slaves the only thing that was important for them was their masters and nothing else. Many vampires made sure that their servants wouldn't know if it was night or day or what time it was for months. Some servants even lost their minds because of that.

For now he had to admit that playing those mind games with Caroline was quite satisfactory. And satisfaction was something she would definitely give to him one way or another.

After she had left him this morning in his office he had ordered his personnel to bring him three humans. He drained them immediately. He could barely satisfy his hunger and his need after his encounter with Caroline. He couldn't wait to taste her to start feeding from her constantly. He could smell her blood under her smooth skin and if it tasted half as good as it smelled then he would have to be very careful with her. He didn't want to accidentally drain her. But he did want to taste her, to have her blood running through his veins every single day. He became restless and anxious something that hasn't happened to him in centuries. At least not because of a woman.

He also needed sexual release so he had fucked a blond werewolf that was waiting in line in order to become one of his hybrids. He would never turn that particular one because she was quite weak and needy and his remaining supply of Elena's blood wasn't endless but at least the she wolf was good for certain uses and after his meeting with Caroline he needed immediate release. He was merciless with the little wolf as he roughly pounded in her while he had closed his eyes and fantasized that Caroline was in her place.

After that he had spent his noon watching Caroline in the baths through his computer screen. He had basked at her sight and at the notion that her body was getting prepared for him. He had made sure that this time she wouldn't be bathed by servants. Caroline was a special piece, a work of art, so he made sure that she would be prepared by the hands of vampires. Her perfection deserved such care.

So he had watched Rose and Anna bathing Caroline and he took in every reaction Caroline had which along with her image was quite the delight.

The visual and the sound systems were excellent so he had even heard Rose's warnings to his little human girl. How on earth had he managed to gather around him such weak vampires like Stefan and Rose was beyond him! But in this case he decided to let it go because Rose's warnings created a new fear inside Caroline. And that was something he wanted.

This was a revenge he was certainly going to enjoy.

His body ached with painful need as he had seen Rose massaging Caroline's whole ripe body and then spreading her legs on that table. Caroline was a thing of inviting sexual beauty. He had heard her screams and reveled on them. He had closed his eyes and enjoyed the sound like it was a melody. He couldn't wait to hear her screaming again.

Like his brother had when her father had driven the white oak stake through his heart he though with malice. Although he would make sure that Caroline's scream wouldn't be only caused by pain but also by pleasure at times.

He did hope that her fighting fire wasn't going to be extinguished so soon. He wanted to have fun with this. And when he was done with her he would grand her wish. She said that she would rather die. So she would. In front of her father. By his hands.

Until then he would enjoy having her as his slave. The time in his office made him realize that she would become the perfect plaything for him. She didn't know it but even if she wasn't the daughter of the General she would have still attracted his attention as she had done three years ago. Of course he might not have taken as his blood slave but he wasn't certain about that either. She was igniting a savage temptation in him that he hadn't felt for centuries. And for a creature as old as him this was a rare occasion. Things didn't excite him anymore. But she  _did_. After centuries upon centuries he was interested and craving something. The idea and fantasy of her surrender and complete and total submission was generating new needs inside of him. And he rarely ever met anything new anymore. That was the downside of immortality. Boredom was an imprisonment for every vampire that managed to survive through the ages. Boredom and insanity. He felt both. But now he was finally not bored anymore he thought as he looked at the sleeping beauty in his computer screen.

For a human she was the personification of physical perfection. She looked like a sculptured unique statue. Like those he had been collecting ever since his days in Greece eons ago.

But Caroline wasn't soulless and cold. Hot blood run through her veins and lively heat emitted from her flesh. He could still see her naked body in the recesses of his mind. The memory of her naked form from hours ago etched upon his eyes. The dress she was wearing right now could not hide such a vision. And she was even more beautiful in touch.

After tonight he would make sure that she would rarely find clothes upon that lustful body of hers. Instead his hands would constantly find their way upon that body.

He closed his screen and got up. He called one of the guards and gave him some directions before he headed to his room.

.

.

When he went in his eyes immediately went to Caroline. She was peacefully sleeping on the cot. The golden chains on her legs and on her hands were a beautiful addition to her pale skin. He smirked and went to change for the tonight's event.

He had to be perfect. He went and took a shower and then he got dressed. When he was ready he went and stood in front of the cot.

His eyes roamed all over her sleeping form. Her hair spread underneath her head and her breathing was easy and regular. Her head was turned on the one side and her handcuffed hands were placed over her stomach. Her breasts were strained under the bodice of her dress and her long legs from the knee and down were looking smooth and milky white. The coldness of the room had surrounded her and yet the sedative had made sure that her sleep would not be disrupted. The dose was meant to last for a few hours but her body was already too tired so she kept on sleeping until now.

Good. He needed her rested and alert. That way she would experience everything that were about to happen to her more clearly.

He kneeled next to the cot. He laughed at the idea of the surrealistic image. The prince waking up the sleeping beauty. If the prince was a metaphor for darkness and the beauty was the caged light then they definitely did fit the part. But his kiss would condemn and not free her from her bonds. If anything he would make sure that those bonds would remain intact and would get more restraining he pondered as he gently touched the one of the golden cuffs that circled her wrist like a bracelet.

His hand left the bracelet and slowly moved towards her neck. He felt her pulse at the base of her neck and his fingers found their way on the appealing curves of her breasts that were revealed from the cleavage of her dress. He let his fingers sensually roam over the marvelous flesh and he was pleased to feel her move under his touch and moan slightly. He kept caressing her breasts over the dress and trailing patterns over the exposed skin and the curve of her breasts as were toned by the line of the dress.

His hand ended up at her silky hair and placed a lock behind her ear.

He bent over and his mouth touched her earlobe slightly and his hot breath caressed her skin there causing her to move in delight. She was still asleep but she was slowly awakening and as she was she was making the most sensual sounds and movements he had seen in a human.

" _Caroline_ ," he drawled and felt her turn her head a little bit towards his voice.

"Wake up sweetheart," he told her softly as his other hand kept warming her breasts.

He saw her heavy eyelids opening up and her eyes looking at him through a haze. She must have momentarily forgotten where she was and who he was because for a friction of time she smiled contently at him.

He forgot to even move at the sight of her smile. She looked so innocent and angelic that all of his dark thoughts were blocked and all he could do was stand still and look at those smiling red lips. He craved to feel them and touch them and have them kiss him but somehow he couldn't move. All he could was stare.

But then the spell broke as he saw her whole demeanor rapidly changing. Her eyes opened widely and her breathing abruptly stopped in fear. She blinked and her smile was gone. He found himself oddly missing her smile like it was the sun and unwelcome dark clouds surrounded it and hid it from plain sight condemning the world into darkness again.

She was startled as she realized that Klaus was an inch away from her face. His threatening form was looming over her and his hands were on her body. She jolted awake and she tried to move away from him but his hands and the chains and cuffs didn't allow it.

She blinked several times as all her memories returned and she realized where she was and with whom. She was tied up in Klaus's bedroom and he was standing next to her. He was again invading her personal space and he was touching her against her will.

"Don't," she pleaded with him again even if she knew it to be pointless. She kept struggling but all she managed was to cause a smirk to form on his lips.

"Stay still Caroline," he said with a low voice "you might hurt yourself if you keep struggling like this," he warned her as he pressed his hand over her chest so she could stop moving.

"It is not like you care!" she spat as she glared at him and wishing for him to remove his damn hand from her breasts.

His smirk grew wider and he raised his eyebrow.

"You would be surprised with the things I care about love," he said and removed his hand from her breasts but kept his other on her neck.

She tried to move her head away but he gripped her hair slightly preventing her from doing so.

"Stand still and I will reward you by untying you from the cot sweetheart," he toyed with her.

Her lips quivered as he expectantly waited for her to obey him.

She took a deep breath and stopped herself from moving. She remained still hoping that he would at least keep his word and untie her. It would be something. She hated doing what he was telling her to do even if it was something as simple as that but she hated being confined like this even more.

He playfully smiled at her and his hand let go of her hair. It roamed over her neck for a moment causing shivers to spread on her body but then he took it away and she saw him pulling a small gold key from his even pocket of his costume jacket.

She cringed when he placed his hand on the small of her back and helped her sit on the cot. She felt nausea as she sat up but his hand helped her remain steady.

"Breathe," he told her "You have been sleeping for some hours now," he informed her and she looked at him intently for a moment surprised by his soft tone that seemed almost caring but she then turned her head on the other side. She saw the chains and collar that were hanging on the wall next to her and she cursed herself for her stupidity. He didn't care. If anything he was the one responsible for everything that kept happening to her and for everything that would happen to her from now on.

She then felt his hands reaching the chain that was connected with her handcuffs and unlocking it. Soon enough the chain on her ankles followed. He helped her turn her body so her feet now touched the cold wooden floor and he unlocked the cuffs on her ankles. The sound of the chains and the cuffs being unlocked was the only sound in the room and seemed deafening to her ears. She sighed with relief as the heavy weight from the two chains and the leg cuffs was finally removed from her body.

She noticed that he then stood up and put the key back to his pocket. Then she looked at her hands. He had left the handcuffs on.

Before she could make a sound of protest he bent, held her from her shoulders and helped her stand up.

She swayed for a moment feeling unbalanced but his hands kept her in place. She didn't know for how long she slept but after sleeping on that hard surface her whole body ached again and she felt completely cold and disoriented.

She glared at him and moved back in order to make his hands fall from her body.

"You said you would untie me," she accused him as she showed him her still bound wrists. She realized how stupid she was to trust and expect him to do what he told her. She also felt shame for submitting to him in order to gain what was rightfully hers in the first place. Her freedom from chains and her freedom in general.

"I said I would untie you from the cot," he told her with a condescending smirk "well you are not tied up on it anymore, are you sweetheart?"

Bastard! On top of everything else he was also mocking her!

She gritted her teeth and decided to remain passive. She kept telling herself again and again that she needed to do things his way for now. She had to if she was to find a way to escape.

She saw him taking a step towards her and before she could react he had wrapped his hand around her waist and he had brought her close to him.

She then noticed that he was really well dressed. He was dressed in black. He wore an elegant suit and even more elegant shoes and a deep dark purple tie.

His aftershave made her inhale deeply and she felt weak under his scrutinizing gaze.

He placed his index finger under her chin and tilted her head up until their gazes were lined up.

"Come love, the night has just begun," he told her in a seductive promising tone.

Panic rushed through her veins and she placed her tied up hands on his chest and pushed him away.

"What does this mean?" she asked him in fear. Not only she didn't trust him but the sadistic glint she was seeing in his eyes was creating waves of panic in her mind and soul.

She still remembered what he had said in his office when he was talking to Rose and Anna. He had told them to prepare her for the  _hearing_. Many scenarios run inside her mind but none was good. Whatever he was planning was going to turn out to be a torture for her for that she was certain.

"Aren't you a curious one?" he said with a chuckle that made her see red!

She shoved him away and tried to get away from him but in a second he had flashed in front of her before she could even blink.

He grabbed her from the shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"No point in fighting me love," he told her with fake concern "In the end I always get what I want," he declared as he looked at her appreciatively.

Her gaze was full of defiance and she saw that he now had a smile on his lips that seemed almost genuine.  _Almost._

"Get your hands off me!" she said looking him straight in the eyes.

His smile got wider and he challenged her with his gaze. They stood there for some moments until she lowered her eyes and stood still and docile. She knew he could force her to do what he wanted and she didn't want things to get to that. She had to play nice. But she felt her mind screaming at her for that behavior.

He let go of her arm and he gently fixed her hair with his hands like he would do with a doll and she averted her eyes from him. She turned her head on the other side but he then grabbed her from hair and forced her to look at him.

She couldn't help herself and her eyes shone with rage.

"That's much better love, I kind of like your fiery side," he said as his dark penetrating gaze travelled slowly over her face taking in every detail.

"I kinda hate all your sides!" she yelled at him unable to do anything else.

He laughed at her reaction and that laughter really hurt her.

"Hopefully your spirit will last long enough. You are quite refreshing," he said amused and his hand followed the column of her neck and went down to the line of her shoulder.

She shuddered as she tried to imagine the hidden meanings of his words. He practically confirmed that he was planning to break her and after their encounter in his office and the way he was messing with her right now she had to admit that she was terrified of what he might do.

"Believe me when I say this sweetheart but it is quite hard to come by a woman like you," he complimented her in a way that made her stomach turn.

What scared her even more and made her feel even more helpless was the stark possessiveness that marked his gaze.

She shook her head and looked at him aggressively. She picked her handcuffed hands and swatted away his hand that kept roaming on her shoulder and arm.

"You should know. How old are you? Like a million or something?" she asked him in a daring way.

She remembered Rose telling her earlier that he was really old and implying that he was as old as to have memories from the period the Roman baths were created. That kind of idea was really petrifying to her because that would mean that he would be really strong. The older the vampire the stronger he were. That much she knew.

She had to learn more about him. It was the only way she could have a chance against him. Even if she had to play the naïve girl and the complaint woman she would have to get information about Klaus. Knowledge is power her father always used to say and now she needed all the power she could get even if it was things that might seem unimportant at first.

"Or something…" he laughed and gave her a light peck on the lips without going along with her plans. He wasn't going to give her any information about him while he already knew everything about her.

As his lips connected with hers she winced and she felt her ice cold skin getting even colder. She then moved her head away disgusted.

He scanned her reaction and she saw his gaze getting darker. He threateningly took a step closer and he stood right in front of her. She stared up at him afraid of what he would do next.

He looked at her for a moment but he retreated. He then grabbed her by her upper arm. His fingers digging in her flesh painfully and he wasn't bulging; not even an inch.

"Come along love,  _we have promises to keep, and_ _miles to go before we sleep…_ _"_ he enigmatically told her and dragged her along with him.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked in panic and noticed that his grip was even stronger than the heavy unbreakable cuffs she had on her hands. There was no escape from him.

"Why spoil the surprise so soon? Let's just say that is going to be a night you shall never forget," he said and smiled.

The smile on his lips was slow and humorless and the quiet menace that laced his tone created a new terror in heart. His tone implied only one thing. So far she had been through hell but now she could tell that what was going to come next was going to be far… _far worse!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miles to go before we sleep" is now complete.


End file.
